Loyalty
by BlueFeatheredRaven
Summary: Part III - While Oz resolves to finally confront his feelings, a mysterious affliction with potentially fatal results brings Raven closer to Gilbert. But is there really any way for him to help the boy, or will everything end in tragedy? GilXOzXGil/Raven
1. Prologue

There was a prompt on LJ for a GilXOzXGil time paradox fic, and I thought the idea was really interesting :) Unfortunately I've made it sound pretty dark, and the request was for more of a comedy ^_^; It WILL get sillier, just the prologue is pretty.. confusing ^_^;

It's a confusing concept, trying to make both Older Gil and younger Gil exist at the same time! ^_^;

Still! I like the idea of the time paradox so I thought I'd start the fic anyway :) Here's the Prologue!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pandora Hearts or the Characters

**O-O-O**

**Prologue**

**O-O-O**

Raven had not let him go.

When he had touched that gateway to the Abyss and been pulled within the Chain's world, he had been captured. By fear, by uncertainty, by Raven... He couldn't move. The chain had tightened it's grip around him, it began to pull him forward, downward, into the darkness...

He had heard someone call his name - Vincent? - and a pair of small hands brushed against his side, trying to pull him back.

Raven hadn't let him go.

But at the same time... he had.

He had been pulled away from Vincent's grasp, and yet he hadn't. Been dragged into the Abyss, yet he was sure his brother had saved him. He ran through the ankle-deep waters of the parallel world that stole his master from him, but he also stood in the Nightray house and learned to lie, to steal, to shoot, to kill. He remained fifteen. He grew up. He fled from Chains eager to feast on his flesh, he contracted **Raven**. Be remained Gilbert. He _became_ Raven.

None of it made sense. His mind was a constant mesh of mismatched feelings and visions. Some his own, some not quite his, yet...

Where am I?

The Abyss...

Then... Master?

Is this where my Master is?

_The Abyss...?_

Then were is he?

_Is he safe?_

I must find him!

But how?

_Contract Raven..._

But where is Raven?

How do I contract him?

_Kill..._

What must I do?

_You must kill..._

How do I use it's power?

_I must kill..._

How do I find my master?

_You have killed..._

Killed?

_Murderer..._

_I'm not..._

_You are._

_You are a murderer._

_I'm not a murderer._

_My master is a murderer._

_I am a murderer._

No I'm not!

All for Master Oz...

_Murder._

_Murder._

Murder.

No!

Yes...

_I am..._

I'm not...

_I am Raven._

_You are Raven._

_**We** are Raven._

All for Oz...

In time these erratic thoughts began to calm, those distant whispers of another, non-existent life became silent. A trick of the Abyss, he assumed, filling his head with terrifying thoughts of death and hardship and years of solitude and loneliness. _"I can't let it get to me... If this really is the Abyss, then Master Oz must be here. I have to find him!"_

And so he searched. He searched, and searched, and searched. But all he found were broken toys and monsters and darkness. Dark. Damp. Cold. No light. No warmth. No Master Oz...

When he escaped the monsters he was alone. It was silent. And though he was grateful for the safety, he was terrified. He didn't want to be alone... "Master..." he whispered as his waded through a particularly deep section of the Abyss, too tired to be concerned about the number of creatures that could be lurking beneath it's surface, "Where are you, master?"

Suddenly the silence was broken.

With a rush of wind, a thunderclap, the deafening beat of monstrous wings, it appeared before him. Mad, yellow eyes appeared in the darkness, sharp talons shimmering, even in the dim light. **Raven**.

Gil was frozen with fear once again.

A voice echoed in his head; sharp and painful and sinister, like claws dragging slowly across his skull, cutting deep. He flinched, covered his ears, but it made no difference.

_'Master desires to return to his world...'_

... What?

At the very same moment, **Raven** was called upon from within the collapsing world of a creature known as Cheshire Cat.

The command was clear.

Take your master and Xerxes Break back to the real world, **Raven**. Back to where Master Oz is. Take us away from this world.

**Raven** obeyed. It extended and took those named within the folds of it's wings, soft feathers holding their bodies, sharp claws clutching the heart of it's master, digging deeply, earning a cry of pain from him.

_'Give me your power, Master. Give me your life, give me your mind, so that I may take you to where you wish...'_

The beast's contractor relinquished, the chain's power drawn entirely from his own. The world went black. He lost consciousness.

From within the Abyss, Gilbert, the younger Gilbert, found himself powerless to resist the pull of the chain. He wanted to stay, to find his master, to escape with him. But once again, **Raven** would not let go. It wrapped it's talons around the boy's body, took his energy, caused the child to cry out, to struggle, then slip into darkness.

Against his wishes, Gilbert Nightray escaped the Abyss.

**O-O-O**

"I want this boy to be inspected by the specialist division; it's possible that he is really a chain from the Abyss."

"Yes sir."

Xerxes Break cast a glance back towards the unconscious, dark-haired man laying on the sofa behind him, then returned his gaze to the child whose hands were being bound behind him as a precaution by one of the other members of Pandora he had managed to catch the attention of on his return from Cheshire's realm. The boy had appeared by his side when he had returned to this world, left there by Raven, and was also unconscious, his clothes damp and dirty, the unforgettable scent of the Abyss lingering in the air around him.

He certainly _looked_ like Gilbert, and the grey-haired man could not sense any power from him. Granted, it was quite possible that he was simply a chain that was concealing it's power, but Break doubted it.

He seemed human. He looked exactly how the man remembered he had when he had first entered the Nightray household. But how was that possible?

Was he really Gilbert Nightray? If so, then who was the man he had known for the past ten years? Was _he_ the chain? A crafty creature that had weaved it's way into Pandora without even the slightest leak of it's power or intentions? Who was the real one, and who was the fake? And why had Raven brought this 'younger Gilbert' back to this world with them? ... Perhaps they were _both_ the real Gilbert? How was that possible?

It had to be investigated.

"Oh, and..." Break began as the man wrapped a cloak around the unconscious boy in order to hide his face.  
"Don't let anyone else see him, hmm?" he said with an all too sweet smile on his face, something that was highly unsettling considering his appearance, clothes dirtied and bloody, face strained and a sword clenched in his right hand. The Pandora member nodded - even the newest members of the committee knew it was not wise to oppose the one-eyed servant of the Reinsworth house - and gathered the bound boy into his arms, making sure he was hidden, and turned to leave the room, heading straight for the section of the building that dealt primarily with illegal contractors and chains.

From the distance, Break heard Alice cry out, an explosion, gunfire.

Pandora had seen Oz and his chain. They were most likely on the run now.

He sighed heavily, "My my... Things really are getting interesting."

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O  
**

Um... I know the whole thing is a bit confusing; hopefully you can bare with me? ^_^;

**EXPLANATION: **That long string of jumbled thoughts was supposed to be a mixture of younger Gil's thoughts, the thoughts of his older self that continued to live in the real world, and a few lines from Raven. As the ten years past he lost his connection with the Gil that lived in the real world and so stopped hearing his thoughts. ... Yeah it was supposed to be confusing ^_^;

Everything else shall be explained by other characters (most likely Break) in future chapters :) I will try to work on the rest of this as soon as possible. I hope you enjoyed the prologue! If you feel so inclined, please leave a review ^_^ Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 1

Alright, here we go then :) Hopefully the story will become a bit more light-hearted when Gil returns to the group :)

**PLEASE NOTE:**  
Little Gilbert will be known as Gil/Gilbert  
Older Gilbert will be referred to as Raven  
The chain 'Raven' will by written as **Raven**

Unfortunately, Oz will still refer to both of them as 'Gil' ^_^; There isn't much pairing going on yet, but it will pop up!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 1**

**O-O-O**

Oz yawned and stretched his arms above his head, grunting with the effort before allowing his body to fall lax with a sigh, arms hanging by his side, his eyes tired. The events of the evening with Duke Barma had been quite draining on everyone; Alice was already trying to tear off the beautiful red dress she had worn to the theatre, much to the distress of the maids who quickly ushered her out of the hall and into a more private room to change. Oz wouldn't mind changing as well; he had no problem wearing expensive clothing but it was rather heavy, and he just wanted to go straight to bed. A twist in his stomach, followed by a low groan, tossed that thought from his mind almost instantly, however.

From behind him he heard a soft chuckle, a small smile tugging at his lips before he fixed an irritated look on his face and turned back to face his servant. Raven had taken off his jacket and was once again tying his hair back with the blue ribbon he had placed in his pocket. He obviously intended to do the cooking tonight; despite the many servants and chefs within the Reinsworth household Gil would, from time to time, choose to make his masters meals for him. No one ever complained; he was simply serving his master after all... And they didn't want to come face-to-face with that fact that the much younger, less experienced servant was a far better cook than any of them. Oz placed on hand on his hip and frowned, "And what's so funny?" he asked, his voice lacking any of the frustration he tried to express physically.

Raven simply smiled and finished tying his ribbon, then reached out and ruffled Oz's hair as he walked passed, "Dinner should be ready in under and hour. I'll call you when it's done."

"And Alice," Oz said, causing Raven to pause in the doorway leading towards the kitchen, "Don't forget to make her dinner too."

Raven didn't even try to hide his irritation, groaning quietly. 'Do I have to?' was what he was wanted to say, Oz bet. "Fine, I'll call the stupid rabbit too."

"She has a _name_ you know."

"I know, it's Stupid Rabbit."

"_Gil_," Oz whined, but he wasn't really upset. Raven may still call Alice a 'stupid rabbit', but there was no longer any malice in the name he had given the Chain all those weeks ago. Just like Alice's 'Seaweed-Head' remark.  
It was just what they called each other, two highly unusual nicknames that almost bordered on affectionate, if they weren't followed by a string of further insults or physical abuse. It was... kind of cute, in a way.

Raven disappeared from sight and Oz was left alone in the hallway. Break had been there a few seconds ago, he was sure of it, but it wasn't unusual for the Reinsworth servant to suddenly disappear. His mind had seemed elsewhere when they had entered the mansion, focused. In fact, Oz had noticed Break seemed to be acting slightly more suspicious that usual over these past weeks. He had started asking Raven questions, weird ones.

His favorite color, his earliest memory, his brush with **Raven** in the past, where he'd gone when he snuck out of the Nightray house to meet secretly with Ada Vassalius ("How did you know about that?!" "Gil did WHAT with my sister?!"). All weird questions, none of which Oz could find any reason for asking.

What on earth did Gil's first impression on the Nightray maids have to do with... anything?

But he was very persistent in getting answers for them, to the point that he would pop out of Raven's cupboard in the middle of the night, or burst in while he was bathing, or appear from under the table at breakfast. Anything to get Raven worked up enough to answer. It was funny, but confusing.

He was up to something. That was obvious.

But for the life of him, Oz could not figure out _what_ that 'something' was.

Alice's voice broke through his moment of contemplation, loud and irritated, "Oz! I'm hungry!"

The young blonde chuckled as the chain emerged from around the corner, wearing her regular skirt and shirt, but not her jacket, and smiled, "Gil's making it for us right now."

There was a momentary pause following that statement, before Alice spun on her heel and disappeared through the same doorway Raven had just entered moments previously. "Seaweed-head!" she called, "You better make me lots of good tasting meat!"

Smiling, Oz quickly followed; looks like they were going to 'help' Gil cook again tonight! That was always fun, for Oz and Alice at least. Gil normally ended up with a headache and a couple of minor burns.

He could worry about Break later.

**O-O-O**

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Gil almost screamed, his face beet-red and his fists tearing the roll of bread in his hands apart quickly. He took a particularly large bite and chewed, reminding himself not to swallow too fast or he'd end up on the floor gasping for breath like he had the _last time_ this had happened. Xerxes Break was seated backwards on a chair in front of him, arms folded on the back, that ever-present smirk on his face. Sometimes Gil just wanted to punch him when he looked like that. It looked like a lie.

"Believe me, it's a _very important_ question, little Gilbert," Break hummed, still smiling, and allowed his left foot to scuff the floor, "Don't you trust me?"

"No."

"Oh, that's harsh."

But true. Gil didn't trust Break. Not completely, anyway. He knew he was no more than a means to an end for the one-eyed man; if it benefited him to keep Gil locked up in here he would. And he liked to tease him, so he couldn't know whether what the man was saying was true or false. But Gil couldn't see how he could possibly be Breaks 'left eye' locked up like this. He'd be completely useless, so... He swallowed his food and sighed heavily, "They didn't talk very much and did their job as best as they could, but didn't have any personal interest in Vincent or me, only Eliot."

"Aww, unrequited love was it?"

"..."

"You're not much fun are you?" Break sighed dramatically, earning nothing but a tired shrug from the teen before him. The Reinsworth servant observed Gil as he took another bite from his bread, eyes downcast, arms resting on his knees once he no longer needed to hold the bread to his mouth. He was exhausted. He hadn't been sleeping well since the day he had arrived, and Break could hardly blame him.

At first the tests had been quite harsh; bound by magic circles, threatened by the Chains contracted by Pandora Members, poked and prodded and beaten and tested and interrogated until he couldn't take it anymore and collapsed. As it became less and less likely that the boy they had discovered was a Chain, his treatment had improved, and Break, as the only member of Pandora who could claim to know the boy personally, was left to interrogation. Now Gil was kept in one of the rooms in Pandora's headquarters, unable to leave due to the use of magic, and no one but Break and a few doctors came to visit him, but otherwise he was quite comfortable.

But he wanted out.

So he had listened to Break and done everything that was asked of him. He allowed them take blood samples, run tests, question him about the Abyss, how he got there, how he returned (something he still didn't understand himself), his past, his intended future; everything. He did everything they asked and he didn't complain once.

Well, maybe once or twice. Break had given him a pretty good clunk on the head when he had kicked the man out of frustration. He'd whined about that, the little brat.

But such an action had only furthered Break's belief that this boy was not a chain. He was human, and though he could not explain it with certainty, it seemed highly possible that he was also Gilbert Nightray.

Break always thought a second opinion in these situations was best, though.

"Well little Gilbert," he said, rising from his sitting position and brushing the creases out of his pants, "it seems I have run out of games to play with you."

"Does that mean I can go?" Gil sounded so hopeful, obviously desperate to return to the Nightray house and recommence his search for a way to rescue his precious master. He still didn't know that it had been just under ten years since he was pulled into the Abyss... _If_ he truly was Gilbert Nightray.

"Not yet I'm afraid," Break took up his cane and pushed the chair against the wall, "There is still one final test I need you to pass."

Gil sighed, defeated, and fell backwards so that he was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, "And what would that be?" he asked, taking another bite of the bread roll in his hand. How much more did he have to do to prove he was not a chain? Pandora sure were slow considering they were supposed to be the experts; how smart could they be if the couldn't tell the difference between an adolescent male and a deformed monster from a parallel world?

"I can't tell you I'm afraid..."

Gil didn't even bother to look up; he knew the man would have already disappeared into the shadows by now. No one to look at until the next doctor's visit, or the maid who brought his food, or the next time the clown decided to grace him with his presence, which could be anything from an hour to a week. He allowed his eyes to drift closed slowly... But curiosity had his mind racing when he heard the man's parting words.

"But trust me Gilbert... It'll be a real treat!"

**O-O-O**

Oz quickly cast his eyes over the paper in his hand and frowned, "Break wants to see us?"

"First thing tomorrow morning," the maid nodded, clutching absentmindedly at her apron as she did so, "Mr. Break asked that you be ready for a trip to the Pandora Headquarters."

Oz thanked the young women and sent her on her way, before returning to the dining table where Raven and Alice were seated. Both were wearing questioning stares, though Alice's was partially blocked by a large drumstick lodged between her teeth. He passed the note to Raven, and once he had read it himself the man frowned, "It's not like him to send us a message like this; normally he just appears out of thin air to tell us anything."

"Do you think it's something serious?" Alice asked, growling as Raven reached over and knocked her elbows off the edge of the table without taking his eyes off the note, muttering something about manners, which the chain merely scoffed at.

"With a trip to HQ? It must be," Oz shrugged, "I guess we'll see tomorrow." He took his seat next to Alice and picked up his knife and fork, intent on blocking out Alice and Raven's bickering and finishing his dinner, but he suddenly found that he wasn't hungry anymore.

It wasn't just nerves at the mystery of the situation, the silent worry, the fear of not knowing what was coming. No, something wasn't right here. The way Break had been hounding Gil, avoiding Oz, disappearing and reappearing far less often, more suddenly, saying far less than usual... Whatever he was hiding it was important. And Oz had the feeling that was the reason they were making this trip.

"Your getting food all over your clothes."

"Don't tell me what to do, Seaweed-head!"

"Stupid Rabbit!"

Oz shook his head, almost chuckling at the butterflies that had fluttered in his stomach. Honestly, what was he worrying about? He had Gil and Alice with him, didn't he? So he had nothing to worry about!

Whatever was waiting at Pandora's Headquarters tomorrow, he was sure it wasn't going to make any great difference to his life.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

That's all for now! ^_^ Please R&R if you liked it :)


	3. Chapter 2

I have to apologize in advance for this chapter; I wanted Oz and Gil to meet by the end and it ended up very long! ^_^; I had to cut out a lot to make it shorter, including a fun scene with Raven and Alice, but I'll try to rewrite it to fit in the next chapter! ^_^

This chapter contains hints of GilxOz (Finally!) and I have realized I love writing the trio! (Oz, Raven and Alice) They're so much fun! ^_^

Also, special thanks to **Hihazuki**, **nikole435**, **CrazyPersonWriting** and **Virgilia-sama** for taking the time to review! It means a lot guys and I'm glad you enjoyed the first two chapters! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 2**

**O-O-O**

Oz rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, blinking blearily as he made his way down the main stairway to the front door, releasing a jaw-aching yawn when he reached the bottom, "When he said 'first thing in the morning', I didn't think he meant _dawn_."

"We have to eat first!" Alice announced loudly, causing Oz to flinch. It was too early for yelling…

"We don't have time," Raven said as he emerged from one of the rooms at the side carrying a brown bag in one arm. He looked like he'd been up and washed and dressed for a while, where as Oz had only rolled out of bed mere minutes ago.

"How come you're so awake?" Oz asked through another stifled yawn. He really shouldn't have stayed up reading last night, but once Edgar started that battle he couldn't put the book down until he was finished! Normally a few lost hours wouldn't bother him, but he'd only had about two hours sleep and had been up late the night before for the same reason. _"Ah Edgar… why can't I resist you?"_

"I'm used to it," Raven said simply with a shrug, reaching into the bag and producing a bright red apple, which he tossed in Alice's direction. She caught it almost unconsciously, biting into it hungrily before thinking to cast Raven a quizzical glance. "You'll have to make do with fruit and sandwiches. And stay quiet while we're travelling," he turned his attention to Oz, "It's a good hour by carriage to the headquarters, you can catch some sleep on the way."

Sleep sounded good. Oz smiled his thanks to his servant.

"Hmph! Don't think you can tell me what to do, Seaweed-head!" Alice said, but snatched the bag out of the man and started devouring its contents in relative silence as she exited the mansion all the same.

"Hmm, you're not usually so considerate," Oz hummed, smiling tiredly up at Raven, "does this mean you like Alice now?"

Raven scoffed and shook his head, "Hardly, I just knew she wouldn't shut up if we didn't feed her. She's like an animal, I swear…"

The journey to Pandora was completed in silence, for the most part. Oz took a seat next to Raven instead of Alice for once, to avoid getting thumped awake by the chains flailing limbs as she ate enthusiastically. Within minutes of setting off Oz fell against his servant in a soft slumber. The chain didn't like sitting on her own, though, so when she finished eating she stumbled over and forced herself into the small space on Raven's opposite side (she had tried to push Oz off the man and sit between them, but he wouldn't let her touch his sleeping master for fear of waking him). Raven was surprised to find a few minutes later to find she had also fallen asleep against him. Stupid Rabbit…

The carriage ran over a sudden bump, and the dark-haired servant looked down at his master, worried, but the boy was still fast asleep. He mumbled and shifted his position slightly, nuzzling Raven's sleeve until he felt comfortable, and sighed contently. Raven felt his heart warm at the sight, smiling gently, and wished the girl at his other side was not sleeping against his arm so that he could respond to the urge to reach up and brush Oz's fringe out of his face.

Not that he should ever follow those particular urges, even when he thought no one was looking. The last time he had allowed himself to simply sit and watch his beloved master sleeping Break had leapt out from under the table at breakfast the next morning and called him a pervert ("Says the old man hiding under the table!" he had yelled back). Break had never explained why he said it, Oz and Alice had laughed regardless, but Raven knew. He wasn't a pervert! He hadn't been intending to _do_ anything! He was just… looking…

Raven sighed. Yes, he knew it was wrong. He shouldn't care about Oz the way he did, shouldn't feel the way he did for his master; a friend, a boy, a _young_ boy… But he did. He had since they were kids, and had long ago given up trying to deny it. But he would never do anything that would jeopardize his relationship with Oz, and he was pretty sure _this_ was one of those things. So he kept his mouth shut. He would rather stay by his side as a servant than lose him as a result of unrequited declarations.

The carriage suddenly began to shudder as it travelled over cobbled streets, and only then did Raven notice where they were. It was only a few more minutes to Pandora HQ, but he didn't have the heart to wake his master when even the noise of the horse-hooves on the street and the shaking carriage had failed to raise him. Nor the stupid rabbit.

He smiled down at his master again and remained silent.

He'd wake him when they got there.

**O-O-O**

"Good morning!" Break beamed, waving at the approaching trio from the top of the stairs leading to the second floor. Oz responded with similar enthusiasm, Raven remained silent, and Alice cursed him for making her skip breakfast. After those pleasantries were shared Break led then down the hall to the office he had decided to take up residence in for the morning (when the real owner entered and took one look at the infamous man and his chattering doll, he quickly retreated). He had a file in his hand, and fanned himself carelessly with it as he waited for them all to take a seat in front of him, sitting on the desk with his legs crossed.

"So, why did you call us here Break?" Oz asked, his tone conversational. He was still quite tired, but the short nap in the carriage had made him feel slightly better. The Reinsworth servant smiled and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed the file in Oz's direction, who managed to catch it just before it hit him.

"Our newest subject for investigation," he said, his smile never wavering. "I thought you might be interested."

Oz frowned slightly and sent a questioning glance towards his friends. Raven looked confused and shrugged. Alice looked dangerously annoyed.

"You dragged us out of bed and away from breakfast for this?" she huffed, glaring daggers at the Pandora member. When the man feigned a shot to the heart and his doll laughed and chanted 'Alice is angry! Alice is angry!' the chain threatened to throttle him, then quickly turned to the boy next to her. "Just open it Oz!" she demanded.

"Alright Alice," Oz said with a chuckle and flicked the file open. It opened on the middle page, full of writing, so he tilted the cover so that the pages fell open at the beginning.

And frowned when he came face-to-face with a picture of Gil, looking almost exactly as he had before Oz had been dropped into the Abyss.

"That looks like Seaweed-Head," Alice said simply, uninterested, and sat back in her seat with her arms crossed.

Raven leaned over and looked into the folder as well, frowning when he caught sight of the photo. He turned his attention to Break and narrowed his eyes, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No joke, my friend," Break said with an enthusiastic shrug.

Oz picked up the picture and examined it closely. The hair, eye eyes, the expression, all were a shade darker, more somber than his memory of his servant, but there was no denying that whoever this boy was, he held an uncanny resemblance to Gil… Then he glimpsed over the rest of the profile, and found it filled with unsettling information.

He claimed his name was Gilbert Nightray, that he was fifteen years old, a human, with no memory of his life before the age of nine. He had one brother, no parents. He liked cooking and hated cats and green peppers. He had served a boy named Oz Vassalius for five years before his master had been lost to the Abyss, after which he was taken in by the Nightray house…

"What is this?" Oz breathed, tearing his eyes away from the document to catch the gaze of Break's one eye. He was not smiling anymore. He was serious. What on earth was going on?

"It's a joke, obviously," Raven growled, snatching the file from Oz's hands and flicking through it quickly. "Is this why you were asking me all those weird questions? For fun?"

"Partially, yes. But I already told you that this wasn't a joke," Break said, hopping off the table. Emily leapt to life as he did, "Gilbert really is stupid isn't it?"

Before the dark-haired man could retort, he continued, "The boy in that file appeared along with Gilbert and myself when we returned from Cheshire's Realm." He jabbed his cane in Raven's direction as he opened his mouth to speak, "You were unconscious, so don't try telling me that he didn't. I had him examined by the specialist division and it appears he is not a chain. The possibility hasn't been completely ruled out since this is such an unusual case, but it seems highly unlikely. Over the passed few weeks I have been in charge of interrogation, which was partly the reason I have been asking you so many questions as of late, Raven, to see if both your answers matched up." He walked towards the window as he spoke, looking out at the buildings of the city. Smiling over his shoulder he added, "And also because I wanted to ask you some really fun questions."

Raven did not respond. Neither did Oz, or even Alice. They just allowed the information to sink in and waited for Break to continue. When the silence began to stretch between them, Oz asked, "So what are you saying…?"

"I'm saying that I can't be sure that the boy is your servant," Break said as he unwrapped one of the hard candies he had produced from the small bag at his side, popping the treat in his mouth and rolling it over his tongue. After a moment of silence he continued, "But I also cannot be sure that he _isn't_. He knows all about his life with you, the Ceremony, **Raven**..."

Raven frowned and glanced back and forth between Oz and Break. His master didn't really believe this did he? He was sitting right next to him! He was here! It was impossible for that boy to be him! And why was Break stretching this stupid joke out for so long anyway?!

And why was everyone being so quiet? Why weren't they telling the clown to shut up?

Why wasn't _he_?

Break continued, "From all the research that's been done by various members of Pandora including myself, we have come to the conclusion that he is either a powerful chain with amazing imitation abilities and the power to conceal it's scent for long periods of time, or a weak chain that somehow absorbed your servant's memories during his brief contact with **Raven** and possibly believes it _is_ him, which would explain why our lie detectors did not pick up any deception. Both these ideas are rejected by the majority, and the only other option is..." Break leaned back and rested his palms flat on the surface of the windowsill he was resting against, eyes fixated on the ceiling, "That he is indeed Gilbert Nightray."

There was silence. Shocked, bewildered silence.

This wasn't a joke. Break was serious.

Once he had absorbed what had been said, Oz reached over silently and took the file from Raven, opening it up on one of the middle pages and reading a few lines, feeling slightly detached, but curious. He skimmed over the file; 'The subject'? That's what they called him? And they had been taking blood from him? Using magic circles? Performing tests? They were treating him like an experiment! Oz felt raw anger begin to bubble in his stomach, but quickly restrained himself. No… this boy might not even be human. They had to check, to make sure he wasn't a threat. But if he was Gil… "How?"

Break shrugged, "There are lots of answers to that question, and not one of them certain. The easiest one is to simply say…"

"The Abyss did it!" Emily chirped.

Break nodded and pet the doll, "Well said, Emily!"

Alice grunted and crossed her legs, sliding down the chair so she was seated in the most unlady-like fashion possible, "I don't know how exactly the Abyss could do that, but I suppose it's not impossible." She groaned loudly, "TWO Seaweed-heads? One is too many!"

"Hold on!" Raven straightened, his voice colored with shock, "You don't actually _believe_ any of this do you?"

"If you're just going to sit there in denial," Break said, smiling with false sweetness, "then kindly do so with your mouth shut."

"You've got to be kidding-!"

"Where is he?"

Alice, Raven and Break turned their attention to Oz, who had closed the file and placed it on his lap, his hands resting gently on it. He sat with his back straight, composed, not showing any of his own emotion.

"Oz…" Raven frowned.

"That is actually the reason I called you here today, Oz," Break said, moving away from the windowsill and coming to a stop in front of the seated boy. "You see, I've done everything I can to prove this boy is a fraud, but I just can't seem to find any kinks in his armor. I've come to the point I'll soon have no choice to believe what he's telling me, and when that happens he will have to be set free." He tossed his left hand to the side along with his head, palm facing the ceiling, "Which is all well and good, but if he turns out to be a chain in the end and slaughters everyone around him, I'll be in a bit of trouble. I'd rather I was able to share the blame with someone whose opinion really mattered."

Raven clenched his fists, "You want Oz to risk-!"

"I want him to see the boy for himself," Break interrupted, his gaze piercing, silencing the man on the spot, "to meet him, and tell me what he thinks. No more."

Oz stood up before his servant could attempt to protect him again, clutching the file in his hands, and looked up at Break with determination in his eyes. He could not know if this boy was his servant, or if he was even human. But if he was Gilbert, his Gilbert, he had been hurt. He had been mistreated and imprisoned… And it was Oz's job as his master to protect him!

If this boy was Gil, then he had failed.

But he wouldn't abandon him.

Break smiled and reached out, taking the file from Oz and tossing it carelessly on the desk, "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

**O-O-O**

Raven had insisted on coming, but had been refused by both Break and Oz. Alice argued that it was safe for her to see 'the little Seaweed-Head' since they had never met before, but she had also been turned down, held back by a rather peeved Raven. If he couldn't go with Oz she certainly wasn't!

It was for the best; this final test on little Gilbert would be emotional enough without throwing in an older version of himself and a Chain that had planted a Death Clock on his master.

Break cast a glance back at the young blonde behind him. He was lost in thought, staring at the floor and following silently. When they reached their destination outside the little Gilbert's room, Break stopped suddenly, and Oz walked into him.

"Sorry." Oz muttered, retreating a few steps.

Break waved a dismissive hand and placed the other on the door handle. "I'll go and tell him he has a visitor, shall I?"

Oz nodded lightly, then clasped his hands together behind his back and leaned against the wall beside the door, a frown settled on his features. He felt… really nervous. The person in the room behind him, separated by nothing more that a few blocks of concrete, was supposed to be his servant. Gilbert. Gil… But he was already with Gil. It had been ten years since he had fallen into the Abyss and his servant and grown up while he was away. He had met him and been shocked, but he had dealt with it swiftly and Gil had shed his false persona permanently. Oz was used to just accepting things. He didn't question them, didn't ponder on the 'how's and 'why's on the situation. He just accepted it. But this? It would take a little more time that most things to get used to…

"Good morning, little Gilbert!"

Time he evidently didn't have.

From inside the room Oz heard someone speak, and his stomach clenched at the familiarity of the voice, "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Hmm?" Break hummed happily, "What?"

"'Little Gilbert.'" Oz's heart was suddenly pounding. Why?

"Ah! That's because…" he heard Break take a few steps forward and then a strange 'bonk' sound, accompanied by a grunt of pain. "You are little!" Had Break just hit Gil on the head with his cane?

"No I'm not!"

Oz felt a smile tug at his lips for a moment, overcome with an emotion that he could not attach a name to. It felt like a lifetime since those days, with Gil and Ada in the Vassalius mansion. It was strange, hearing his voice after so long, but oddly heartwarming. Like the sound of a beloved song long forgotten.

Gil… Was it _really_ him? Was the Gil he once knew really here?

And if he was, then what? There was no way he was going to let his servant with Pandora, but he didn't think it was safe for him to come along with him either. The boy would never return to the Vassalius mansion without him though, even if he was ordered to. Plus Oz was going to have to explain his Death Clock to him. How would he react to that?

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard Gil's voice again; he didn't hear what he said but it sounded like a question. That voice... He was getting ahead of himself; first he had to find out if this boy was really his servant.

"_Just take it easy…"_ Oz told himself, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. He knew Gil; he was his servant, his best friend, his… Oz paused awkwardly and shook his head, scattering the images that had suddenly emerged of tender moments that had passed between them, past and present. What? Where had those come from?

A very special person to him. Yes, that's what he'd been thinking. Special. He nodded. He would know if this person was his servant or not, and he could work from there.

Inside the room, Gil was seated on his bed and looking up at the man in front of him, confused, "A visitor?"

"Indeed."

"Is it Vincent?" he asked, curiosity quenched almost instantly. Who else would come to see him? Or.. Maybe it was Duke Nightray? He felt his stomach drop at the thought.

Break visibly flinched at the mention of the blonde Nightray and Gilbert quirked an eyebrow at him. Sure, Vincent was weird, but Break had hardly met him.

"No, it's not your brother," he said, with as much false pleasantness as he could muster. Gil was about to ask him about it, but the silver-haired man turned and attention to the door and banged his cane on the floor twice, "You can come in now!"

Gil turned his attention to the door curiously. For a moment, there was nothing. Break frowned and banged his cane on the floor again, "We don't have all day!" With an awkward, unsure stumble, the person spun around from where they rested against the wall outside and entered in one movement. Then froze, looked up, and Gil thought his heart would leap out of his body.

He gasped, his breath caught in his chest, and felt his hands tighten on the edge of the bed. Without thinking he leapt to his feet and took a few steps forward, then stopped, wary. This couldn't be real. It couldn't. He tried not to blink, sure that if he did the person before him, Oz, his master, his _precious master_, would disappear. But he didn't. He stood just inside in the doorway, unmoving, looking just as shocked to see his servant as Gil was to see him. He swallowed the lump in his throat – he barely dared to breath! – and whispered, in a low and cautious whisper of a voice, "Master… Oz…?"

Oz was frozen to the spot. He hadn't prepared himself properly… The sight of Gil had shaken him, shocked him, paralyzed him where he stood. It was him… He couldn't explain how he knew, he just did. Memories of brighter days flooded him in an instant, overwhelmed him, moved him, and just as quickly cleared, leaving the present day in his vision, but his heart pounding and body constricted. He had to move. He had to say something. Gil was looking at him, with such desperation in those familiar golden eyes that it almost hurt to look into them. He released the breath he had been holding, and simply said, "Gil…"

It was enough. Gil stumbled across the room in his haste, Oz taking two slow steps forward to meet him. He threw out his hands and gripped the front of his master's jacket without thinking, resting his forearms against his chest, looking straight into his eyes. Those eyes… He had missed them so much! "Master is it really you?!" his voice had raised a pitch, his vision blurred by tears that he quickly blinked away. He didn't care if he was making a fool of himself, that Break was watching, that he had completely lost all his composure. His entire body was shaking, his legs weak, blood rushing through his veins so quickly he felt light headed. "Are you alright?! Did anything happen while you were there? You're not hurt are you?!"

Oz felt his own eyes sting at the sound of the raw emotion in the boy's voice, but tried desperately to keep the tears at bay, "Gil! It's ok!" he said, clutching the boy's shoulders, "I'm fine, see! Don't-!" Gil's legs gave way beneath him and Oz was pulled down, force down on one knee, the smaller boys head suddenly bowed, "Gil! Are you alright?"

"I'm so glad…" the dark-haired boys voice was muffled, but Oz could tell from the way it quivered that he was crying, even if his shaking shoulders hadn't given him away. "Master Oz I'm so glad..." he raised his head to look at his master, tears streaming shamelessly down his smiling face, twisting Oz's heart and causing a blush to rise on his face, "I missed you so much… I.." his smile suddenly vanished, "I'm sorry that I… At the ceremony, it was my fault that-"

"I-It's ok Gil…" Oz said awkwardly, unsure how to react to so much emotion. Or how to deal with the rivers of various feelings rushing through him. So he did the first thing that entered his mind; he slid his arms around the boys shoulders and pulled him towards him, one hand resting on the back of Gil's head, holding it against his own, the other pressing the boy's body against his.

Gil's hands slipped around his torso and clenched the back of Oz's jacket desperately, returning the hug with force, and he began to sob uncontrollably. "It was all my fault Master! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry…"

"It's ok Gil…" Oz sniffed and blinked away tears, rubbing the boys back slightly with the hand the rested there. He swallowed hard, his own body shaking, and bowed his head to bury his face in Gil's shoulder, "I'm here, it's ok…"

Break slipped out of the room without a sound, leaving the two boys alone. Well… That was that, then. Oz was far too proud a person to be swayed into expressing such emotion by something he believed was a fake. It seemed little Gilbert had passed the final test.

The young Vassalius heir tightened his grip on the boy in his arms, trying to hide his face, unable to stop a few tears from falling no matter how hard he tried. Gil wouldn't stop crying. He couldn't. And it only made Oz's attempts to hold back even harder. He shushed the boy, unable to trust his voice to speak, and rocked back and forth without thinking.

It was him…

It really was Gil…

And despite the fact that he knew Gil now, as an adult, as Raven… He found that he had really missed him, without ever really realizing it.

Just accept it.

He had tossed aside this Gil so quickly with that attitude, accepted Raven, which was the right thing to do because he _was_ Gil, and he cared for older Gil just as much as he had when they were kids. But now… Like this… He knew it didn't make sense, and he knew that it wasn't anyone's fault, but he still felt like a traitor.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered, his voice shaky. Gil made a confused squeak, and Oz shook his head, "Just… sorry…" Gil obviously didn't understand, but he nodded anyway, resting his head against Oz's shoulder and waiting for both their emotions to calm.

They sat in silence afterwards, side-by-side on the floor, both embarrassed from allowing themselves to get so emotional, but both finding they didn't really care. Oz did not think of anything; he did not worry about Raven, or Alice, or Death Clocks or the time they had both lost in the Abyss. He just enjoyed the feeling of being with his servant once again.

And Gil did likewise, warmed by his masters company, unable to stop smiling, laughing when they glanced at one another and Oz would grin at him, feeling relieved, content…

He had no idea of the changed world that awaited him just beyond the confines of his room.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

I bet Vincent would be in heaven in this fanfic; two Gils! ^_^

Hope you liked it! ^_^ Please Review if you have the time :)

Also, If you have any fun little suggestions for mini adventures when the whole group get together suggest away! I have an idea how it will end, but otherwise I'm making up a lot of the stuff in between it as I go along :)


	4. Chapter 3

Okay everyone, sorry for the wait! I came down with a bug and had to stay away from the computer ^_^;

I got carried away with this chapter, and yet it's a bit rushed... Sorry :( But the Gil's will meet properly in the next chapter, and then the Gil/Oz/Gil can begin! … I hope. That's the plan anyway ^_^; I based Alice's comment on little Gil's face on the Drama CDs, just for fun :)

Ok everyone, I hope you enjoy! ^_^

THanks for reading so far, and a special thanks to **CrazyPersonWriting**, **Avi Chant**, **Hihazuki**, **kyotoprincess**, **Kalana Fox** and **Hinakura1** for reviewing!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 3**

**O-O-O**

Raven hated tea.

Well, he didn't hate it, exactly. It just did nothing for him. What he needed right now was coffee. Black coffee. Lots of it.

Nevertheless he picked up the small china cup and sipped the drink, trying to calm his nerves, but found the simple action only served to frustrate him more. With a growl he slammed the cup back down on the tray, causing it to shatter instantly, remnants on the beverage splashing on his sleeve. He cursed, wiping the liquid off, but didn't worry about the cup. Alice had already broken three (one was an accident, the other a test, the last pure frustration), he could just blame her for it.

Damn it… what was taking so long?

When the door creaked open a few minutes later both Raven and Alice turned there attention towards it. It swung open, but no one was there. Instead, Break popped out of one of the cupboards behind the desk, startling the man and chain and instigating the destruction of china cups five, six and seven.

And the china tea pot.

Raven vaguely pondered on how he was going to end up with the bill _this time_.

"My my, what a mess you've made," Break said as he examined the tea-stain on the wall behind the desk; not even a chip of glass or a single drop of tea had managed to land on his clothes.

"Where's Oz?" Raven asked.

"So serious," the grey-haired Pandora member sighed, walking around the desk so that he was standing to Alice's left, Raven seated to her right, "He's down with his servant, of course. Poor little Gilbert couldn't stop crying like a baby and clutching to his precious little master like it was life or death; it was all very emotional."

Alice laughed, "Seaweed-Head crying? I wish I'd seen that!"

"Oh don't worry Alice, I've heard that he cries an awful lot," Break said, earning a growl from Raven. "Oh! And…" Break suddenly said, as if something important had just popped to mind, and took up his cane, bringing it down hard on Raven's head, "That's for kicking me."

"Ow! What the hell?!" Raven cursed, holding his pounding skull, "When did I kick you?!"

"When I asked you if you were a chain for 'the hundredth time'," Break beamed, earning a scowl and a string for particularly vile curses from the dark-haired man. Which Break completely ignored, of course, and pointed down at is ankle accusingly, "It still hurts, you know."

Raven scoffed and continued to rub the spot on his head that the man had struck, "You can't hold me responsible for what that _thing_ says and does!"

"'Thing'? Oh how terribly insensitive of you, I don't think Oz would like people talking about his servant like that."

"Oz wouldn't care one way or the other," Raven leaned back in the chair and folded his arms, "because whatever that thing is it's not me, and he knows it."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

Break smiled and leaned against the desk again, "Then why is he down with that 'thing' and not up here siding with you in this little argument, hmm?"

Raven paused, "That's because…" Because… Why? Where was Oz? Why wasn't he back here telling him that the thing Break said was another him was just a chain, or some other monster? Why hadn't he come back?

"You can deny it all you want, Gilbert," Break said with a shrug, "but as far as Oz is concerned that boy in there is his servant."

"That's ridiculous…" Raven frowned. It was impossible. It didn't make any sense. Why was he the only one who could see that?

It was obviously a shape-changing chain! Oz had told him about that Mad Baby he had met in the Abyss, it was probably just a more advanced version of that.

Wait!

What if that was the case? The Chain could have read Raven's mind somehow and be disguising itself as a younger him to get to Oz!

What if it was just waiting for him to show up before dropping it's mask?

What if it attacked?

His master couldn't defend himself!

It would try to eat him!

While _he_ was sitting here drinking _tea_!

Shit! What if it was trying to eat Oz _right now_?!

Raven leapt to his feet, raced across the room and was pulling the door open before Alice had time to register he had moved, disturbing mental images of his master in dire peril deafening him to her complaints. How could Break leave him alone with that thing? He had to get to Oz, he could be in danger!

Break signed heavily and shook his head, "He's so troublesome."

Alice leapt to her feet and darted for the door as well, "If Seaweed-Head's going then I'm going too!"

"Yes, yes," Break waved. He really didn't see the point in giving chase; if Oz couldn't handle the situation then he would just have to explain everything to the little Gilbert and get it over with. It might be fun, actually, maybe he would go watch… He chuckled lightly and pulled another sweet out of his bag. "Good luck, Oz!"

**O-O-O**

"Master… Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can, Gil~!"

"How did you get out of the Abyss?"

Oz's smile disappeared for a moment, but he managed to slip his perfectly practiced mask on before his servants gaze returned to him. Sometimes Gil could see right through these false smiles, but he didn't seem to notice now. The Abyss? He'd not though of a way to tell this to him… How was he supposed to tell his servant he was an Illegal Contractor? Would he even know what that was? It was Gil himself who explained the Death Clock to Oz in the first place.

Gil tilted his head slightly, questioning. "Master?"

No… No, Alice and the Death Clock were far too much to land on his servant. He was going to have to think of a lie, fast. "Well you see…"

"Oz!"

Both Oz and Gil leapt in shock as the door to the room flew up, crashing against the wall, the handle making a noticeable mark in the plaster, and a rather panicked-stricken Raven stumbled awkwardly through it. Gil blinked at the man, confused; his initial appearance would have been quite frightening if he didn't seem to be tripping over his own feet.

Raven's feet both managed to find solid ground and steadied the rest of his body, though awkwardly, and the man raised his head to look at his master, "Oz are you-?!" he paused when he saw Oz seated on the bed looking shocked, but otherwise perfectly fine. What had halted him in his tracks, though, had been the sight of the boy (thing?) that was sitting next to the blonde, staring at him with wide, surprised eyes. "What the…"

Oz leapt to his feet; what the heck was he thinking barging in like that? Didn't he realize this was a delicate situation?! Didn't he remember how ridiculously sensitive he could be when he had been younger?!

"Gil you-!" Oz caught himself; damn! He'd said 'Gil' and the little Gil had heard and he didn't know about the older Gil just yet and-!

"Youuuuu haven't met Raven have you?" he continued loudly, spinning to face the younger version of his servant and presenting the gawping man to him with an outstretched arm, an awkward and all too energetic grin on his face. "He's my bodyguard!"

Gil blinked, shocked, but far more confused. What was wrong with his master all of a sudden? He was looking at Gil with panicked eyes, doing an uncharacteristically poor job of hiding the fact he was worried, for reasons the young servant could only imagine.

"Bodyguard? When did you…?" He trailed off when he noticed that the man that had entered the room was still staring at him, eyes wide, jaw slack, silent. He paused a few seconds, waiting for him to look away, but he didn't. He just kept staring. He didn't even blink. Which was creeping Gil out. He squirmed uncomfortably; what was he looking at?! "Um, Master Oz…"

"Impossible…" Raven whispered quietly, shaking his head slowly from side to side, straightening his posture and staring at his younger self for a few more seconds. It was like looking in a mirror… To see a much smaller, weaker, innocent version of himself, yes, but a mirror all the same. But that didn't make any sense… He couldn't be here and there at the same time! "That's impossible! It's got to be a fake!"

Oz flinched, then growled – It? **IT?** No one called his servant an 'it'! - then spun around, fire in his eyes. He faltered slightly when he came face to face with Raven… He was yelling at Gil for insulting Gil? This was going to get very confusing very quickly.

"G-! Raven! Get out!" he ordered, pointing at the door. He saw his servant flinch at the use of his alias, something Oz rarely did, but he didn't have time to worry about the man's feelings right now. He wasn't ready to have to explain all this to the younger Gil just yet; he needed to work out his thoughts first. Make a plan. Break it gently.

If there was a way to gently tell someone they were ten years in the future and that they would most likely have to live with an older version of themselves for the rest of their life, that it.

"But Oz-!" Raven began to protest, but Oz shook his head vigorously and jabbed a finger towards the door again.

"Now!"

It was at this time, however, that Alice chose to arrive on the scene, racing through the door with such speed that she collided into Raven's back, sending the man stumbling forward to land flat on his face at Oz's feet. He cursed, but the young Chain simply leapt over him without a second glance, landing directly in front of Gil. The young boy instantly leaned away from the short but highly aggressive-looking girl, who had her hands placed on her hips and was studying him with a critical eye. "U-um…"

Oz groaned; this wasn't supposed to be happening! "Alice, what are you doing here? I thought I told you two to wait for me."

Alice shot a glare at the man who had just struggled to his feet, nodding in his direction, "It's his fault; he just got up and ran off leaving me all alone with that stupid clown!" she turned her attention back to Gil, smiling when she saw him awkwardly avert his gaze from her, uncomfortable. "So this is the little Seaweed-Head?"

Gil frowned, "Little what?"

"He has a much cuter face than I expected."

"E-eh?" he blushed at the remark, which only darkened when the girl bent the top half of her body so that she could look him in the face. "M-Miss?"

Alice grinned, "Miss? Ah! I like you better already!"

"Huh?"

"Alice, not right now," Oz reached over and tapped the girls shoulder, pressing a hand against Raven's chest to try and force him towards the door. "You can talk to him later once we sort everything out."

The chain scoffed at his remark, but pulled back all the same, complaining when Oz nudged her towards the door with Raven. Gil tried to collect his thoughts, glancing between these two new people and his master, who scolded them playfully from a distance. He frowned slightly, "Master, who are those people?"

"Hmm?" Oz glanced down at his servant; damn, think fast! "Oh, well.. Raven's my bodyguard, and Alice is… Sort of like his helper." He glanced towards the pair who were standing just outside the doorway, arguing animatedly about whose fault it was that Oz was upset, Raven quickly switching the conversation to focus on what a Stupid Rabbit she was when he realized he was fighting a losing battle.

"Bodyguard?" Gil's voice was quieter now, "Is that's why he burst in here?"

Oz sighed and ran his fingers though his hair, shaking his head, "He's always flying off the handle like that…" he said, turning back to face Gil and smiling softly, then whispered so that the man just outside the door didn't hear him, "Don't worry about it Gil. He's a nice guy, just a little high-maintenance sometimes."

"I see…"

Oz's smile wavered at the uncertain tone in the boy's voice, but he tried to brush it off, "I just need to say something to them, give me a minute, ok?"

Gil nodded and Oz flashed him an encouraging grin. He smiled as the young Vassalius moved to the doorway to speak to his 'bodyguard', but found that it was partly forced. That annoyed him. He should be happy! His master was out of the Abyss, he seemed healthy and happy and they were back together, so what was wrong?

"You really have to relax more," Oz said with folded arms, looking up at the dark-haired man before him. Even from where he was seated on the bed at the opposite side of the room, Gil could see the man was incredibly tense. He tried to speak but Oz pointed right up in his face, almost pressing his finger against the man's nose, "Ah ah! No! Go back to Break, and we'll talk when I get back."

Raven frowned, "Oz…"

Gil felt his stomach twist, telling him exactly what it was that was upsetting him.

That man had called his master 'Oz'… No 'Mr. Vassalius', no 'Master Oz', no 'Sir' or 'Lord' or anything like it. Just 'Oz'. Gil didn't even refer to his master by first name, and he'd known him for over five years! As just a simple bodyguard he-

Gil froze, a thought suddenly striking him.

Wait…

Maybe Oz… What if he had escaped from the Abyss long before Gil, found himself alone, and found a new servant? Was this 'Raven' his replacement? He felt his heart twist and instantly cast his eyes down to the floor, trying to hide the pain he was certain they were trying to express. No... Oz wouldn't do that… Would he?

Alice sighed loudly and grabbed Raven's arm, "Would you just shut up and go back to the room? You both just go on and on and on and I want more food!"

"Then you go!" Raven growled, and Oz groaned, telling them both to go and that he would be back soon.

But then… Who was Raven? And that Alice girl? They all seemed very comfortable around each other…

Replaced… So… Was he not needed anyone…?

"Gil?"

The young servant boy swallowed hard, couldn't rid himself of the lump in his throat in order to speak, so he simply shook his head. 'Nothing is wrong master, nothing at all,' he wanted to say.

But it was a lie.

Not needed? Not _needed_? No… Oz needed him… He had to… Because if he didn't what would Gil do? Where would he go? What would be the point of all this searching? All this worry? Of escaping the Abyss?

What would be the point of living?

"Gil are you ok?" Oz frowned, concerned. He stepped forward and reached a hand out to touch his servants shoulder, but froze when he saw the boys fists clench the material of the bed sheets by his side so hard they shook, his breathing suddenly growing heavier. "Gil?" No response. Oz felt worry flair in his chest. He reached forward and gripped the boy's shoulders, "Hey… Gil? _Gil_?" Still nothing.

Gil was lost in a living nightmare, thoughts quickly spiraling downward into the depths of his own personal Abyss. Not needed… Oz wouldn't need him. He'd leave him behind; he'd leave him here, in Pandora. He would leave with Raven and Alice and never come back, because he didn't need Gil, he was only a burden, was worth nothing. A servant without a master was nothing. He was nothing. He didn't deserve Oz… It was his job to protect his master and he'd failed. He'd sent him to the Abyss, and hadn't been the one to get him out. He'd failed. A failure didn't deserve to serve… A failure didn't deserve to live…

"Gil talk to me! What's wrong?" Oz yelled, shaking the boy vigorously. It didn't seem to work… _"Damn it, what's wrong with him?"_ Oz was really starting to panic now; Gil had never acted like this before, what could be wrong with him? What could he do to get him out of it? He really didn't want to slap him, he just didn't have the heart to after everything the boy had been through in the past weeks. He had to try a different approach.

Gil was barely aware of his master's hands releasing his shoulders, the thoughts in his mind rushing, repeating, dragging him deeper into himself. Worthless… Worthless… Worthless…

Oz took a deep breath and sighed, trying to calm himself, free his voice from worry, then slowly raised his arms and gently held his servants face in his hands. "Gil…" he said softly, pressing his palms lightly against the boy's skin and trying to make him tilt his head upwards. He didn't move. "Gil, talk to me…" he whispered, leaning his head down closer so that his forehead bumped against the top of the boy's head, "I'm here, Gil."

Gil blinked, the sound of Oz's voice, his touch, penetrating his thoughts. "M-Master…?" his voice was shaky, the knot in his chest desperate to break free. He was so tired of crying…

Oz smiled slightly at the response; it was something. He pulled back and, once again, tried to get Gil to look at him. This time the dark-haired teen complied, raising his gaze from its fixed position on the floor to look up into his master's eyes. His own were shimmering with unshed tears. Oz flashed his servant a cheeky grin, "You're going to be really dehydrated if you keep crying like that."

Gil didn't seem to hear him, and instead chocked out, "M-Master, you won't leave me will you?"

"What?" Oz frowned; was that what was wrong with him? "No, of course not Gil, I-"

Gil's eyes suddenly grew wide, "B-because I understand if you want to! I mean, y-you have Raven and that girl now so… So…" his face constricted and tears welled in his eyes, and he pulled away from Oz's touch so that he wouldn't have to let his master see him so weak. What had he been thinking, asking that? Asking Oz to want him, to take him… "I u-understand if you don't… Don't…" _Don't need me anymore. _He couldn't say it out loud…

"What are you saying? What's gotten into you?" Oz had to remind himself of the file he had read about the experiments that Gil had gone through to resist thumping the boy for his stupidity.

Honestly, though, Oz was worried. He didn't ever want to lose Gil, whether it was the Gil right in front of him or the one back in Break's office most likely tearing his hair out. He was important to Oz; he's always been there for him and the young blonde regularly took that for granted. He couldn't even imagine life without his servant. But the way Gil was talking now… It had him really worried.

And when Oz got worried, he sometimes got aggressive.

Considering the gentle approach hadn't worked, that suited him just fine.

Taking a deep breath and planting his fists on his hips, Oz glared at his servant, ignoring the way the boy shook like a leaf, trying not to cry, and yelled, "Don't be such an idiot Gil!"

Gil's head shot up to meet his masters ferocious gaze, and felt himself cower instinctively, "M-Mas-?"

"Of course I'm taking you with me! You're my servant after all!" Oz shot a hand forward and gripped the front of the boy's shirt, pulling him to his feet and up against him so that their faces were mere inches apart, "You can't get away from me that easily… and if you try it, I'll send an army of cat's to get you back! Or better yet, Cat _Chains_, I'm sure Pandora must have some, so don't even try it!"

"I-I-" Gil stuttered, in shock, but Oz pulled him even closer before he could say anything. Gil felt his face grow hot; they were _way_ too close!

"You already promised you'd stay by my side forever…" Oz's voice was suddenly quiet, his tone serious, but at such a close proximity Gil could see that this aggression didn't reach his masters eyes. While the rest of his body was domineering, his eyes were filled with concern, "Are you the type of guy that breaks an important promise like that, Gil?"

"O-Of course not! I…" Gil really couldn't think when he was so close; all he could see were his master's brilliant green eyes, staring into his own golden orbs. His tears were gone, the constricted feelings in his chest shaken and forgotten as a result of his masters actions. Now all that concerned him was his rapidly beating heart and whether or not Oz could hear it. He really hoped he couldn't. It was bad enough that he couldn't stop blushing.

Oz narrowed his eyes, as if contemplating his servant's response, then smiled, releasing the boys shirt and taking a step back, creating some distance between them. Gil stumbled a little, but he was able to stand on his own; he wasn't shaking anymore, and he looked more relieved that upset, which was a pretty good sign in Oz's opinion. "That's good to hear." He said, reaching out and patting Gil's shoulder, "Great to have you back, Gilbert!"

Gil subconsciously clutched the material of his shirt above his racing heart, nodding softly, not trusting his own voice to speak when so much blood was rushing though his body. Oz pulled his hand away from the boy's shoulder and he felt himself relax slightly, but then the blonde struck him lightly in the centre of the chest. It didn't really hurt, but it knocked him backwards so that he stumbled back to sit on his bed.

"You're probably exhausted, right?" Oz said, still smiling, "You should get some rest."

"But I'm fine, Master," Gil insisted. Sleep? How could he possibly sleep? He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his master; they had been apart for far too long and no matter how many times he could meet the boy in his dreams it just wasn't the same.

"I'm sure you are," Oz said, though the sarcastic twitch of his eyebrow was not lost on his servant. The dark rings under Gil's eyes, his paler-than-usual skin, his bleary eyes.. plus all that running around and panicking and crying; he was bound to be tired. "But your master is ordering you to sleep!"

"Master…" Gil frowned, looking upset.

Oz reached forward and ruffled the boy's hair, "Don't worry Gil, I have to go talk to Break and see what we have to do to get you out of here." His servant's head shot up to look at him, eyes hopeful, and Oz laughed, "So you get some sleep and leave the rest to me! I'll be back as soon as I can, ok?"

Reluctantly, Gil agreed, and after forcing his master to let him get into bed alone ("You probably won't sleep if I don't make sure you get in!" Oz had argued, to which Gil had blushed furiously and yelled, "I with you watching me!") the young servant lay down and closed his eyes. He had no intention to sleep. He was so excited he didn't think he could, no matter how tired he was.

Master Oz was back, and he was going to get him out of Pandora. He didn't ponder too heavily on the irony that his master was rescuing him when it had been his intention to save his master from the Abyss, he was just happy that everything, for once, seemed to be working out for them.

He yawned heavily. Wow, where had that come from?

Raven and Alice… They seemed to be quite comfortable in Master Oz's presence. It made Gil feel slightly jealous, but he was sure it wasn't something to worry about. Oz had said he was his best friend, didn't it?

He rolled over and rubbed his closed eyes slightly. His arms sure were heavy…

Yeah… Nothing to worry about. Oz wouldn't let him go…

That Raven guy could get lost…

Oz had Gil now, he didn't need anyone else…

…

Huh…

Why…

Did that girl…

Call him Little Seaweed-Head…?

Within two minutes of his head hitting the pillow, Gilbert had fallen into a deep, dreamless slumber.

**O-O-O**

"I just don't get it…" Raven growled, clutching his hair and tugging it in frustration. Oz just shrugged, Alice told him it was a particularly bad dream and he has to pull _much_ harder than that. Raven frowned, shaking his head vigorously, "You're saying that boy is _me_? He can't be! It doesn't make any sense!"

"If the Abyss is involved, we can't rule out anything, really," Oz said, taking a gentle sip of his tea and setting it back down on the table in front of him, "All I know is that he's Gil. And you're Gil." He frowned, "It doesn't make sense, but that's how it is."

"What, so you just know?" Raven sighed when Oz nodded. His master had been relatively quiet since he had returned to the office, but that was not surprising. This was quite a bizarre situation, it was hard for everyone to take it all in. "Do we have any other proof?"

"He smells like you."

Raven gawped at Alice for a moment, frozen. "I beg your pardon?" He almost sounded offended by the statement. Despite the circumstances Oz couldn't help but smile, though he did have the courtesy to try and hide it.

"The little Seaweed-Head," Alice said matter-of-factly, "He smells that same as you. There may be a strong essence of the Abyss around him, but the scent is definitely the same." She bobbed her head with certainty. When the room remained silent she turned to see Raven was still staring at her. Frowning, she muttered, "What?"

"… You know my _scent_?"

Oz snickered.

"Of course!" Alice huffed, placing her hands purposefully on her hips and taking a deep breath, head tossed back slightly, trying to look important, "Everyone has a scent, and each is very distinct. And I'm telling you that the little Seaweed Head and you smell the same."

"What are you, a dog?!" Raven cast an awkward glance towards Oz, who was giggling quietly at his servants misfortune, and felt the soft blush that had formed on his face darken, "Th-that doesn't make any sense!"

"It makes perfect sense!" Alice growled, pointing an accusing finger between the mans eyes, "And I could never get yours confused with anyone else's; it's stinks!"

"Hey!"

"As much as I would _love_ to see how this turns out," Break said in a loud voice, succeeding in his attempt to silence the sudden bickering that had erupted between Raven and Alice, "There is still the matter of the younger Gilbert."

The mood instantly sobered. Raven visibly flinched, teeth gritted, but resisted the urge to launch into another 'He's not me!" speech. Break turned his attention to Oz, "So, 'Young Master Oz', what would you like to do?"

"I'm not leaving him here," Oz said instantly, not even pausing to consider his answer, "He's my servant, and I'll take full responsibility for him from this point onward. Including if he turns out to be a Chain."

"Oz-!" Raven spun around to face his master, shocked, ready to argue against the boy's decision. But the sharp glare he received from the young Vassalius silenced his arguments before they could fully form. He cursed quietly and moved over to the window, looking out.

"So we get to keep the other Seaweed-Head?" Alice asked, looking from Oz to Break. The former chuckled and asked her did she actually like him, and she shrugged, "He seems easy to train; I can teach him to obey me!"

Break nodded, "An excellent idea, Alice!" he said, earning a proud smirk from the chain and a chuckle from Oz. He picked up the file that was lying on the desk and flicked through it, "It won't take long to get through the paperwork, but you know you'll probably have to explain everything to him before we can even consider releasing him."

"I know…" Oz said, frowning slightly. Subconsciously, he pressed his hand to his seal. "How much do we have to tell him?"

"Whatever you want to tell him," Break said with a shrug and a smile, "but I would suggest telling him all about your adventures with Cheshire's Cat; I'm sure he'd love it!"

Oz smiled and allowed his hand to drop; he could wait until another time to tell Gil about his seal… Maybe he wouldn't tell him at all, it wasn't like he needed to know about it before it was absolutely necessary.

"He's resting right now," the blonde teen said when Alice demanded they go tell the little Seaweed-Head everything so she can start making him into something useful (unlike Raven), "How about we go for an early lunch and call in after that?"

As the four of them (which quickly became three when Break pulled another disappearing act) made there way down to the cafeteria, Oz fell into step beside Raven. Fingers laced behind his back, the Vassalius heir waited for the man to look at him. He didn't. "Are you ok?"

For a while, Raven didn't say anything. Then he muttered, "I just can't make myself believe it. It's too…"

"I know…" Oz said, "I don't get it either. But it's just the way things are, Gil."

"Yeah…"

They walked in silence for a while longer, save for Alice questioning Raven about the direction of the food. He complained about her bottomless pit of a stomach, she complained about his stupid head and stupid face and stupid everything. Oz just sat back and watched, munching quietly on his food and allowing his mind to drift back to the boy that was resting at the opposite side of the building, completely unaware of what was waiting for him when he woke up.

But Oz would make sure everything would work out, ease Gil into his new life, and then they could live together once again. Maybe he could even convince the older Gil to treat the younger him like a brother; if he looked at it like that maybe they might get along. After all, Raven would understand Gil better than anyone.

"_Don't get ahead of yourself; one step at a time,"_ he told himself, pushing one of his green pepper slices off his plate and onto Raven's, earning a grimace from the man. Alice made a face at the vegetable as well, and stole the meat from Raven's plate instead. As a fresh argument erupted between them Oz thought of how different things were going to be if Gil came along with them. Would there be more fighting with two Gil's in the group? Would Raven accept him or reject him? What would happen when Alice got her hands on him? Would he like her or resent her?

So many questions… And no way of knowing the answers until they unfolded before him.

Whatever the outcome, Oz was just glad that he had his old servant back. Not that he didn't care for Raven, but he did miss the Gil of younger days sometimes. Now he would be able to grow up with both of them. He thought back to their meeting, and smiled to himself. He really hadn't changed at all… He was a year older than when Oz had left him, but his personality was the same. He had no problem talking to him, sitting with him, comforting him; it was like they had never been apart.

There was one thing that was different, though.

It was probably nothing, just his imagination, or the he was just emotional from everything that had happened…

But it bothered him…

When he had held Gil's face, and the dark-haired teen had looked up into his eyes like that…

Why had his heart fluttered like that?

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

Phew! All done :) And yes, I am trying to shoe-horn in some more Gil/Oz at the last minute :)

Hopefully the next one will be up much quicker!

Please R&R if you have the time, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, it's really encouraging! ^_^


	5. Chapter 4

I'm sorry everyone! I've had writers block on this story because I edited far too much out of the last chapter :(

Eventually I decided to just sit down and write and hope it came out alright, and it doesn't seem to have gone too badly, but I'll let you judge that for yourselves :)

Thank you so much to **lightbeam911**, **Kalana Fox**, **CrazyPersonWriting**, **Setsuki Angel Princess**, **Hihazuki**, **Marie**, **Bloodypleasures** and **kyotoprincess** for reviewing the last chapter! I really appreciated your comments, so thank you very much for taking the time to review! I read them to inspire me to write :)

If you have any suggestions about what you would like to see in this story feel free to tell me; as I have said this story only has a vague outline and I would like to make it as enjoyable as I can for the readers, so suggestions are welcome! ^_^

Ok everyone, enjoy! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 4**

**O-O-O**

Just accept it, Oz said.

Just accept… Alright, suppose Raven did accept everything that was going on as reality, what exactly would that mean?

It would mean that the boy inside that room at the opposite end of Pandora was him. When he had gone to see **Raven** at the gateway to the Abyss beneath the Nightray mansion and his mind had been dragged into the Chain's clutches, he had somehow been… duplicated? He would go with that for now. He had been divided, and while one Gilbert Nightray was dragged into the Abyss, the other was pulled back to his own world by his brother. Since then they had lived separate lives, influenced by each others memories for only a short period (it certainly explained the vivid and quite accurate dreams he had experienced about the Abyss, despite never actually being there) until their connection somehow severed and they became entirely individual people.

Sounded ridiculous, but Raven quickly continued along this trail of thought.

When Raven had commanded his chain to return himself and Break from Cheshire's realm to their own world, it had somehow interpreted the command to include the Gilbert from the Abyss (he vaguely remembered using the term 'Your Master' as opposed to simply saying 'myself'), which brought the two Gilbert's back, himself and the younger version of himself, to the same place, in the same time, and the younger Gilbert had been taken by Pandora while he, the older Gilbert, had gone back to Oz…

… Was that how it was?

…'

Raven groaned and massaged his temples with his fingers; he could feel a headache coming on. He shouldn't have been able to come up with even a moderately logical explanation for everything that was happening, even if it was a bit of a brain bender; the very fact there were two of him made no sense at all!

"Are you alright Gil?"

The dark-haired man lifted his head slightly and glanced towards the young noble by his side. Once Alice had finished devouring everything save the Pandora dining tables and cutlery (most of it anyway), the trio had begun to make their way back towards the room the younger Gilbert was staying in. Raven had fallen silent as they ate and not said a word since, while Oz, though clearly feeling nervous, continued to banter with Alice about what kind of person the younger Gilbert was. He told her she was not allowed to scare him until everything had been explained and they were allowed to take him home, then joked about how taking the second Gilbert home was like adopting a new pet, but Raven hadn't been listening properly, lost in thought, trying to make sense of everything.

Trying to accept it, like Oz had told him to.

He wasn't doing a very good job.

"Yes I'm fine, Oz," he said, allowing his hands to drop from his head to hang loosely by his sides. He nodded a greeting to one of the Pandora members that recognized him as he passed then in the hallway, then cast a tired smile towards his master, "I'm just feeling a little tired."

It didn't look like Oz believed him, but he nodded all the same. They were silent now, as they approached the room. Originally Oz had questioned whether it was wise to return to the boy so soon and drop this bombshell on him, but after some aggressive arguing on Alice's part he had agreed it was best to get things done and over with. The young servant wouldn't be allowed to leave Pandora until he understood the world he was entering, after all, and Oz did not want to leave him there a second longer than was necessary.

Raven felt his heart pang when he heard the concern and determination in his master's tone.

He cared about that boy …

When the three of them had finally reached the bedroom Oz paused, his hand resting on the door handle. Alice and Raven said nothing, waiting for him to enter, but instead he turned around and addressed the taller of the two, "Hey Gil?"

"Hmm?"

"I think you should wait outside while I try to explain all of this to him," he said, nodding towards the door lightly as he spoke, "I know he's already seen you, but I'm sure it would be a lot easier to let him absorb what's going on before he meets you again."

"R… Right," Raven said, his tone stiff, "That makes sense." It didn't mean he liked it, though.

Oz smiled and turned towards the female chain next, "Alice, you should-"

"I'm going," Alice said, folding her arms and sniffing defiantly, shooting Oz a silencing glare when he tried to ask her to stay outside until he called her, "No! I keep getting left behind and it really doesn't matter if I'm there or not, so I'm going in!"

"_Stupid Rabbit,"_ Raven growled inwardly, but he knew she could not be swayed in her decision. Oz merely sighed and consented, but only on the condition that she would not interrupt or point out the false information he was planning to present to the younger Gilbert in order to spare him the truth about his Illegal Contract with her. She agreed, and demanded they get it over with.

"Alright…" Oz said, taking a deep breath and sighing, knocking lightly on the door before opening it slightly. He peeked in cautiously, and called, "Gil? Are you awake?"

Raven gritted his teeth and folded his arms, trying to ignore the way his stomach clenched. 'Gil' was _his_ name. It was what Oz called him… He ignored the response from inside the room, just about managing to return the encouraging smile his master threw him before entering with a half-hearted one of his own, he watched Alice enter, and then the door was closed.

Raven was left alone.

While his beloved master went to explain to his younger self why the world he would be greeted with would be so different from his own, that there had been some sort of supernatural event that had led to the existence of two Gilbert Nightray's, that he wanted to take him with them regardless…

…'

Two Gilberts.

Two of himself.

…'

"_Just accept it, huh?"_ But it wasn't that simple, not for Raven… It just wasn't possible for there to be a second him. His thoughts, his feelings, his desires and fears, they were his and his alone. How could they possible exist in someone else? How could the bond he shared with Oz, something so precious and personal, exist with someone else? How could there be two? It just wasn't possible.

…'

And what did this mean…?

What did all of this mean for his relationship with his master?

If this boy was his younger self, so much closer to the Gilbert that Oz had left behind, far more familiar, then what did that mean for Raven? Would Oz push him aside in favor of the Gilbert he had known growing up, rather than have to associate with a murderer? He certainly wouldn't blame him…

But that wasn't fair.

Raven had spent ten years of his life training, suffering, sacrificing, all for the sake of his master. He had become stronger so that he could save him from the Abyss, and so that he could protect him once he had returned. He'd locked everyone out, even Miss Ada and Master Oscar, and devoted himself to the task of molding himself into a fighter, an assassin, a murderer. He'd soiled his hands, sold his soul, driven his sanity to the edge and forcefully hauled it back again.

He had become a different person. A filthy, sinful person, but it had all been for Oz. To save Oz. To protect Oz. Because despite the fact it was wrong of him to do so, he loved Oz Vassalius with all his heart, and he could never accept that he would never see him again. He believed he _would_ see him again. And so he had never given up. But now…

Raven punched the wall in frustration, body shaking uncontrollably.

Was all of that for nothing? Would everything he did, everything he had become, be abandoned now that something better had come along? A purer, younger, more pleasant version of himself would certainly be a much more appealing choice than his current self.

But that wasn't fair.

Not after everything he'd been through to get here.

To be left behind, to be rejected, to be replaced after all this…

It just… Wasn't fair…

Raven's legs were suddenly weak; he spun and allowed himself to fall back against the wall, placing his hand on top of his hat and clenching the item hard. He pushed it down over his face, his other fist banging against the wall and his stinging eyes shut tight.

He didn't want to… He _couldn't_ be left alone…

"_Oz…"_

**O-O-O**

"Ten… Years?"

"Yeah…" Oz smiled weakly as his servant stared at him, waiting for the punch line, for his master to laugh and tell him it was all a joke, his eyes widening when the blonde remained silent.

Oz had lied about his contract with Alice, of course. Gil believed him when he said that Pandora had used another chain to travel to the Abyss and retrieve him, and that she had been assigned to him as a form of protection. Alice helpfully added that she was the strongest Chain there was, but that if Gil every annoyed her she would let Oz to his own devices the next time he was attacked. The young servant panicked at that, then became angry, but Oz managed to tell the boy she was joking before he started yelling at her.

After that he had explained how he was working for Pandora under Break, and that they were searching for Alice's memories. He briefly explained what they knew about the Will of Abyss, recounted some of the events that took place in Cheshire's Realm, and explained the connection to the Tragedy of Sabrie.

He never mentioned Jack, or Gil's own connection to the Tragedy.

But then his servant had asked him how so much had happened in such a short space of time, and Oz was forced to address the issue of the lapse in time from when both he and Gil were dropped into the Abyss. Predictably, Gil had been rendered speechless by the news for a number of minutes, and Oz couldn't help but admire Alice's restraint. The chain was tapping her foot impatiently from where she was seated in one of the chairs she and Oz had dragged over from the wall to place in front of Gil, who was seated on the bed, but otherwise she was silent.

Gil blinked, looking bewildered, and shook his head, "Ten years?" he said again, "That's… That's…"

"I know, it's hard to imagine… I felt the same when I found out," Oz said with a nod, petting the boys shoulder. If he was finding this hard to accept, how was he going to react when he learned there was two of him?

Alice grumbled and shuffled in her seat; this was taking too long! What was Oz waiting for? Why was he taking this all so slowly? Seaweed-head might be useless, but even she thought he was a little tougher than Oz was giving him credit for. He'd killed people, for goodness sake! This may be a younger Seaweed-head but it was still the same person. Besides, wasn't it best to get things over with quickly? Quick and painless like a… Oh what had Sharon called it?

Unable to recall the word she wanted just made her more frustrated, but despite how much she wanted to yell and tell Gil all about Raven herself she held her tongue. For now. But she shot Oz a warning glance, telling him she could not hold out much longer, which he clearly understood judging by the way he grimaced when he saw her.

Gil was shocked. Ten years? He had spent _ten years_ in the Abyss? But then… did that mean everyone else had grown up? Lady Ada and Vincent, and even little Eliot? Did Ada still love exploring the gardens to pick flowers? Did his brother still shred stuffed animals, or had he grown out of that twisted habit? Was Eliot still as hotheaded and defiant as he had been when Gilbert last saw him? Had he contracted Raven?

Everyone… Everything had changed, hadn't it? "_Well, at least Master Oz and I are the same age… And if he can handle these changes then so can I."_

"Gil…" the awkward tone in his master's voice pulled Gil from his thoughts, "There's something else I have to tell you…"

"_There's more?"_ Gil cast a glance towards Alice, who was staring at Oz with a determined expression on her face, and then to his master, who looked crushed beneath her gaze. He was nervous, which in turn unsettled Gil. "Yes Master?"

Oz shuffled in his seat, "Do you remember what happened right before you were pulled into the Abyss?"

"Yes…" Gil answered quietly, frowning. When Oz looked at him expectantly, he shrugged and said, "My brother took be down to the Nightray Gateway so that he could show **Raven** to me, but I got too close and he grabbed me…" He shuddered at the memory; those claws…

"Right, and you know how I told you that the Will of Abyss has the power to change the past?" The young servant nodded to his master's question, and Oz's continued, "Well… We think that maybe she has a lot of other powers as well, ones we know nothing about, maybe ones that defy what we would consider normality," he paused for a moment, and Gil felt he was possibly waiting for a response from him, so he simply nodded again to show he was listening, "And we think that maybe the power of the Abyss did something to you."

The dark-haired teenager tensed at this, his heart skipping a beat. Done something to him? "Like what?"

Oz bit his lip and looked to Alice, who simply frowned and muttered, "Would you rather I tell him?" He shook his head and looked back at his servant. The intensity, the seriousness of his gaze made Gil uncomfortable… This was no joke, whatever Oz was about to say was serious…

"Gil… When you were dragged into the Abyss something… strange happened. We think that… We think that the Abyss may have duplicated you somehow."

"… What?"

Oz looked like he wanted to stop, to let Gil absorb what he was hearing, but a stronger part of him wanted to finish his explanation first, "Because while you were in the Abyss, another 'Gil' stayed in this world, and spent the last ten years trying to contract **Raven** to get me out of there."

What?

What was he saying?

"He contracted **Raven** and joined Pandora, and when I returned he stayed by my side," Honestly, Oz really wanted to stop – the look on Gilbert's face! - but everything was just flowing out of him. He wanted to get this over with, "He taught me about Chains and contractors and has helped me and protected me throughout our missions. After the incident in Cheshire's Realm he used **Raven** to escape, and for some reason it brought you back from the Abyss at the same time. That was when Break found you, and you've been here ever since."

"But…" Gil's voice came out in a short of squeak, "But Master Oz that's… It's not…" Oz wasn't lying… He could tell from the look in his eyes. "Two... of_ me_?"

"That's right," Alice said loudly with a smirk on her face, seemingly pleased that things had finally progressed, "And you've already met him!"

"Alice!" Oz whispered harshly.

Gil blinked, still dazed, "What?"

"Well, go on!" Alice said to Oz, jerking her head towards the door, "Quick and painless! Like a bad maid!"

"Bandage…" Oz muttered, looking towards Gil, uncertain. What he interpreted as curiosity in his servant's eyes was really nothing more than utter bewilderment, his thoughts completely jumbled, but he stood and began to move towards the door none-the-less. Gilbert rose to his feet along with his master automatically, but did not follow the blond.

Oz opened the door and spoke to someone outside.

Gil stood frozen to the spot. What was Master Oz saying? What was going on? His mind buzzed, his throat tightened, his lungs ached for breath yet he found himself unable to obey their desires for oxygen. He couldn't breathe properly.

"Gil… I want you…" Oz turned around to face his servant again, an uncertain smile on his face, an attempt to reassure, as the tall, dark-haired man from before walked into the room, removing his hat as he did and locking his eyes directly with Gil's.

Golden eyes. Black hair. Pale skin.

Just like his.

Oz held out a hand awkwardly, and finished, "To meet… Gil."

… What?

'…

What?!

But… No… No! He couldn't be him, because he was himself, and there was only one of him. Wasn't there? It wasn't possible, was it? And… Ten years? He'd been in the Abyss for ten years? And he had been here, but there, at the same time, as two people? But if this man was Gil, then who was he? Or maybe he was Gil, and this man was something else? But Master Oz had said... And his master wouldn't lie about something like this. And.. And…

"Ma… Mas… I…"

"Gil?" Oz took a step away from the door towards his servant, concern laced in his voice. "Are you…?"

Gil stared at Raven, and the man stared back, his gaze full of ferocity, of a deep sense of mistrust and contempt, that did not crease his other features, which remained passive. He didn't like Gil. But if he was him… And he was himself… And Master Oz was... But then what did that mean for…? But then… When…? What…? How…?

The young teen swayed and stumbled, his mind racing, his body shaking, his heart pounding furiously.

"Gil!"

And then he fainted.

**O-O-O**

Gil was only out for a few minutes, but it had been long enough for Oz to start asking Raven if they should call a doctor. He never stopped talking to the young boy, shaking him, trying to wake him, scolding Alice for trying to smack him ("It works on big Sea-weed Head when he's drunk!").

Raven was furious. He simply watched from the side, telling his master that there was no need for medical help, that he'd probably wake up soon. His fists were clenched, his voice strained, but Oz didn't even notice.

Why?

Why couldn't Oz see him?

Didn't he understand what he was doing? How he was hurting Raven?

Why did Oz care about this little brat so much?

Raven didn't care if this boy was a younger version of himself. All he cared about was that whoever he was he was ruining everything. Life had finally started to work itself out; Oz was back and they were getting along better than ever; he could protect him now, he was useful. He may not have been able to tell his master how he felt about him, but he was content to be in the boys company, silently dreaming of a day when maybe, just maybe, he could confess his feelings without guilt. And though he originally resented her for it, Raven was learning to share Oz's attention with Alice. He may not like the Stupid Rabbit, but they tolerated each other well enough considering.

They had just fallen into a comfortable routine, just become content to be in each others company, learned to grate on each others nerves in the right way, to deal with it afterwards, or forget it instantly. Life wasn't easy, it never was, but they could face it together. Were willing to. Raven, Oz, Alice… And now… What right had this pest to just waltz into their lives and upset everything?

He didn't like it, not one bit.

Oz stopped shaking his servant when he heard a groan from the boy, propping his back against the side of the bed and sighing with relief when his eyes fluttered open. "Are you alright?"

"Master…?" Gil looked lost for a moment, blinking bleary at his master, until his gaze settled on the tall dark figure standing behind the concerned blond. He still had that look in his eyes… "I'm alright." He said simply, gaze returning to his master's. He felt rather embarrassed for passing out like that… "I just… I was just surprised."

Oz nodded in understanding, and chuckled lightly, "I think 'surprised' is a bit of an understatement." He ruffled the boy's hair, causing the teen to groan slightly, still a little dazed, "I'm sorry Gil… I hadn't intended to tell you like that…" So much for breaking things to him gently… He flat out shoved the truth in the young boys face!

What had he been thinking?

Gil placed a hand against the side of his swimming head and sat forward, blinking blearily, "It's alright Master…"

Alice glanced back and forth between Oz and Gil a few times, before settling her attention on the blond, "So can we take him home now?"

Oz couldn't help but chuckle at her choice of words, while Gil simply looked at her, a mixture of shock and bewilderment. Very like how Raven had looked at her earlier when she'd made the comment about his scent. "You're really keen to, aren't you?"

"I just want to get out of here," Alice huffed, getting to her feet and folding her arms as she moved over next to Raven, "and the sooner we get him to come with us the sooner we can fix all the problems that Big Seaweed Head has!"

Expecting an entertaining retort Oz looked to the elder version of his servant, but his smile vanished when he noticed the man was standing silently with his arms crossed, a fierce look in his eyes which were locked on the younger Gil. _"Oh no…"_ Oz groaned inwardly; only Gil would find a way to feel jealous of _himself_. He just had to make things more awkward than they had to be, didn't he? He'd need to do something about that…

"Big Seaweed Head?" Gil frowned, and Alice smirked.

"Yes! Big Seaweed Head!" she announced, presenting Raven to Gil as if she was displaying a prized possession. Which, considering she often claimed that she owned Raven through the simple logic that Oz owned him and she owned Oz, she probably was. "And you're Little Seaweed Head!"

"Wha…?" Gil blinked, "What part of me looks like a seaweed?"

Raven and Oz both gawped at the familiar question, the latter of which laughed.

"Your head!" Alice announced, grinning. Oh she was going to have _so_ much fun with this new Seaweed-Head! Now she had two to fight with; twice the headache, yes, but twice the fun as well!

"Okay Alice, that's enough," Oz chuckled, getting to his feet and offering Gil a hand. He took it, and the young noble pulled his servant up and onto his still wobbly legs. Once he was sure the boy was stable he let go, smiling, "I know it's a lot to take in, and I'm sorry for throwing it all at you like that, but at least now we can talk to Pandora about getting you out of here."

Gil smiled awkwardly and nodded with a quiet 'yeah'. He wanted to be more enthusiastic – he was getting out of here! And he would get to be with his master again! – but he felt completely overwhelmed by what he'd been told. _"Just don't think about it too much…"_ he told himself; just accept it, like Master Oz always did.

Easier said than done.

"We can't get you out of this room until the magic circles are taken down, but Break said it shouldn't take long," Oz continued, placing a hand on Gil's shoulder and guiding him back to sit on the bed again. His shaky legs gave way beneath him the moment they touched the mattress, and he sat looking up at Oz, "So if you don't mind me leaving you again for a while I can go and get this all sorted."

Gil knew it was more of an explanation than a request – he wouldn't really have stayed if the boy had asked him to – but he nodded in false consent all the same, smiling. He'd wait as long as it took if it meant he could be with his master in the end.

However, he hadn't expected his master to say:

"Alright then! Come on Alice, let's go! Gil, stay with Gil and keep him company!"

"_What?!"_ Gil thought, which was repeated aloud by his older self.

"What?! Why me?" Raven frowned, ignoring Oz's mutterings as he had his Chain moved towards the door ("Gil and Gil… That could get really confusing…").

"Hmm?" Oz paused just as he stepped outside the room and glanced back at the two people within, smiling, "Oh, because your master says so!" he held onto the door and waved, "You two play nice now!"

"B-But Oz-!"

"B-But Master Oz!"

Oz shut the door and darted down the hallway with Alice by his side.

Gil and Raven sat in stunned silence, waiting for Oz to reappear and tell Raven he was joking, that he should come with them too.

He didn't come back.

Raven cursed.

Gil glanced around the room awkwardly.

Both wished for some kind of distraction.

And in typical Break fashion, he choose _not_ to appear when someone really, really wanted him to.

Gil and Raven sighed simultaneously, "_Stupid clown…"_

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

You know, I bet Eliot would attack Little Gilbert solely because his appearance would be something he could not logically comprehend ^_^

And now the plot can start! ^_^ There was a funny/silly line I really want to put in with the two Gil's…But I'll save it for the next Chapter! ^_~

I'm glad I got to the point I wanted in this chapter with fewer words than I thought it would originally take; I hope it wasn't too rushed! I'm trying to get the plot moving ^_^;

I hope you liked it! :) Please leave a review if you have the time, and thank you for reading so far! :)


	6. Chapter 5

I have to apologize in advance for this chapter; I seem to have lost the flow for this story a bit :( The next chapter is looking better already, though :)

Once again, I want to give a big thank you to all my reviewers! I really appreciate the time you took to comment on my story ^_^ I think I responded to all my reviews, but if I didn't I apologize, the system at FF has me a little confused at times ^_^;

I hope that you enjoy the fifth chapter of 'Loyalty'! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 5**

**O-O-O**

"Oz, why did you make Seaweed-head stay behind?"

The young Vassalius tore his eyes off the document he had been skimming through and turned his attention to the chain by his side. It had not taken them long to find Break, which Oz was thankful for (when the clown-faced old man didn't want to be found, it was impossible to locate him). They had explained the situation to him, their desire to take Gilbert home, and Break had led them back to one of the main before promptly disappearing again, leaving them to deal with all the paperwork. A young female secretary presented Oz with the necessary papers and explained what he had to do, handed him a pen, and let him to it. Alice hadn't said much since they arrived, acknowledging that Oz needed to concentrate, but now that he was filling the final page she felt no need to restrain herself.

The image of Raven flashed in Oz's mind as Alice's words registered, his eyes sharp and piercing, glaring at Gil, and he sighed, "Well… The air between them seemed a little tense, I thought maybe they could use some time alone."

There was a momentary pause, and then the Chain scoffed. "That's stupid; if they don't like each other they'll just fight when we leave them alone," she said simply, causing Oz to falter; she never did mince words, did she?

"Gil's not that kind of person…" he said, but the skeptical look on the girls face told his she had been involved in one too many private bickers with the man to believe him. He shook his head in defeat, "I'm not expecting them to be best friends or anything, knowing Gil they probably won't even talk. I just think it would be good for them to start getting used to being in each other's company."

Alice shook her head; she clearly disagreed with his logic, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she ordered him to finish up quickly, or she was going to leave without him. He chuckled and turned his attention back to the page before him. Yes, he knew it was probably not a good idea to let the two Gil's alone so soon, but at the same time he knew that they were both having trouble accepting that the other existed. It was a bit aggressive, but wasn't this the best way to make them understand? To accept each other?

Whether they would do so in a good or bad way Oz wasn't sure; knowing his servant, he feared it would probably be the latter.

Once he had finished the final page he gathered the papers in his hands, tapping the bottom end of the pile on the table in order to straighten it out. He caught sight of the first space where he had filled in his servant's name; he hadn't been sure if writing 'Gilbert Nightray' would have been right, considering Gil was already on record as a member of Pandora, but the secretary had explained that the man was registered under his alias of 'Raven'.

Gilbert Nightray, and Gilbert 'Raven' Nightray…

"We really need to think of a way to refer to them separately…" Oz muttered waving a hand at the secretary to let her know he was done.

"Why?" Alice asked, "It's Big Seaweed Head and Little Seaweed-Head."

"I don't think either of them would like it if I started calling them that!" Oz laughed, handing the documents over to the secretary, who quickly began to scan over them for any mistakes. He would need to get in contact with Uncle Oscar to put the Vassalius family seal on these papers, but his reputation as the Hero's reincarnation was enough to convince the Pandora officials to let Gil come home with him before then. He couldn't help but smile as that thought crossed his mind. His servant was really going to be by his side again…

… Wait.

Raven.

He frowned. What was he thinking? Gil had always been by his side, since the moment he had escaped from the Abyss. He may be older than he remembered, and perhaps his personality had changed a bit, but he was still Gil, and Oz cared about him...

"What are you doing Oz?"

"Hmm?" Oz blinked and looked over at Alice, "Sorry, what?"

"She said we could go," Alice frowned, grabbing her contractors arm and roughly pulling him out of the chair he had been seated in and towards the door, "So let's go!"

"Alright Alice!" Oz laughed, following the aggressive chain silently with a smile on his face. His mind, however, returned to his servants. Raven… Gil…

He could forgive himself for these conflicting feelings, couldn't he? He wasn't exactly dealing with normal circumstances. And everything had happened so fast; a mere few hours ago he had not even known that a second, younger Gil existed, and now he was going to be living with him, at least until it was decided what would be best for the young servant. Of course he was going to be happy his servant would be staying with him again, but that didn't change the fact he cared for the older Gil too. He just needed some quiet time to himself to sort out his thoughts and feelings, to fully comprehend the situation, and then everything would be fine.

If he could keep Raven from tearing his younger self limb-from-limb, that is. That look in his eyes had been quite fiery…

Though he knew it was unjustified (or at least he _hoped_ it was), Oz could not prevent the sudden wave of concern that ran through him, and quickened his pace marginally. Maybe Alice was right, maybe they really shouldn't have been left alone.

Or maybe he was overreacting. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

"_Gil you better be behaving yourself."_

**O-O-O**

Gil swallowed thickly where he sat at the head of his bed, his hands clasped together on his knees to prevent them from playing with the cuff of his sleeves, the hem of his shirt, anything. His whole body was tense, eyes on the floor, hair falling down over his face and obscuring his vision. Not that he had anything to look at anyway; his gaze was locked on the carpeted floor.

Raven sat at the opposite end of the bed to the boy, in one of the chairs Oz and Alice had left in front of the Gil's bed (though he had spun it around to face the door without so much as a glance in the direction of his younger self). He had his arms folded and was chewing on the half-smoked cigarette in his mouth, his eyes fixed on the door at the opposite side of the room.

Neither one of them said a word to each other.

Gil shuffled uncomfortably, praying that Oz would return and shatter the painful silence between him and the dark-haired man seated just a few feet away from him. With a small frown, the young servant cast a curious glance towards Raven, who had his head lowered, fingers pressed lightly against his lips as he took one long drag from his cigarette and pulled it away, exhaling the smoke from his body in one long, narrow wisp. _"This man..." _Gil thought, _"is me?"_

He watched as Raven glanced quickly around the room before raising his left foot to rest on his right knee, quenching the last embers of his cigarette in the sole of his shoe and dropping the item in the waste basket by his side. That done, he reached up, pulled his hat down over his eyes, folded his arms and leaned back in the chair, head lowered as if intending to sleep. Gil took that moment to quickly examine the man's appearance, curiosity overpowering his nerves.

Was this man really him? Master Oz seemed to think so, but Gil found it hard to believe. Aside from the obvious mental obstacle of accepting there were two of him, the dark-haired teen could scarcely believe that the lifestyle he had chosen would produce such results.

Raven was tall, much taller than Gil had thought he would have grown. His shoulders were broad, his arms and legs long. He seemed agile, and strong. Gil had never been partial to bright colors, and he liked clothes that were comfortable and functional, so the choice of attire wasn't surprising, but where had he gotten that hat from? It was quite the statement; he personally wouldn't have given it a second glance had he been buying clothes for himself. It looked good though… And the gun strapped to his right thigh, ever ready for combat, the sharpness of his eyes, the hardened lines of his face… Even the cigarette, though a bad habit, seemed to add to the air that surrounded the man.

Gil blinked; was it vain to think that Raven looked… Kind of cool?

Raven, sensing the boy's eyes on him, raised a hand to poke the brim of his hat upwards slightly, his gaze cast sideways at the teen, and resisted the urge to flinch when he saw him visible fumbled and quickly turned his head towards the door, his hands clenching the material of his trousers nervously. He knew he hadn't grown out of many of those same habits, but it was just strange seeing them reflected in another person. He cast a critical eye over the boy's frame and frowned; he hadn't _really_ been that small and skinny, had he? No wonder Oz had picked on him…

Though the past few weeks in Pandora's Headquarters must have taken its toll on him; Raven knew he'd had more puppy-fat concealing his cheekbones at that age, and those horrendous dark circles under his eyes made the boy look like the walking dead. What he needed was a good meal, a long nights rest, and-

Raven stopped himself and shook his head. What did the kids personal health matter to him?

All he cared about was getting this boy out of his and Oz's life as quickly as possible. The last thing the young Vassalius needed right now was another distraction; they had to focus on locating the Baskervilles and discovering their plan of action, restraining his Death Clock, learning more about the Will of Abyss, about the Tragedy, about Jack; there just wasn't time to take care of someone who couldn't fight.

And Raven didn't want Oz's attention drawn from him anymore than it already was.

But that was just an afterthought.

It's not that he was _jealous_ or anything.

Maybe if the boy remained weak Oz would agree to send him back to live with Master Oscar in the Vassalius mansion. A small, weak, untrained child involved in dealings with Illegal Contractors? With the Baskervilles? It wouldn't be safe for anyone involved, forced to take care of him, slowed down by his presence. He was nothing but baggage and would only get himself into trouble if he came along. Sending him away was the best option.

Oz couldn't argue with that logic.

"Um…"

Raven frowned; great, he wanted to talk.

Gil bit his lip, his eyes having returned to the floor. Really, he didn't want to talk to Raven… The man was physically incapable of hiding his dislike for Gil, even for the sake of courtesy. But by the sound as if he and his older self were going to have to spend a lot of time with one another, and so he thought it best to at least try and learn to be civil to one another. Even if Raven blanked him, he could at least tell his master that he'd tried. "So… Um…" It might have been a good idea to think of something to talk about _before_ opening his mouth, though.

Raven straightened up slightly in his chair and turned his attention directly on the boy. His full attention. It only made the dark-haired teen more nervous, which had probably been the man's plan. But Gil ignored that and quickly scanned his mind for some sort of topic of conversation they might be able to discuss; he'd already heard about what Raven had done in the past decade (briefly, at least; he didn't want to know the details of what Raven had used that gun for), and Master Oz had already told him what he himself had been doing since his return from the Abyss, so the Nightray family was really the only other thing he could talk about, "H-How's Vincent?"

"Still cutting teddies, still keeping secrets."

"Ah…" Gil frowned at Raven's tone; it was anything but conversational, monotone and somewhat strained. Wait, wasn't Vincent an adult now? And he _still_ hadn't stopped cutting up his stuffed animals? The very fact a grown man _had_ teddy-bears to cut was disturbing enough on its own… "And Eliot?" he continued, releasing the material of his trousers and smoothing it out distractedly, glancing nervously in Raven's direction but allowing his eyes to return to his hands the moment he saw the elder man was looking in his direction.

"Same."

His social skills obviously hadn't received any attention in his training. "What, cutting teddies?" he tried with an uncomfortable smile that fell almost as quickly as it formed. This was so awkward! The air was so tense it was almost suffocating… and judging by the way Raven narrowed his eyes it seemed he had not liked Gil's attempt to make a joke. "Sorry…"

Silence returned between them for a moment, Raven returning his attention to the door, before Gil decided to try just one more time to pull his elder self into a conversation, "Do you know how long Master Oz and Miss Alice will be?"

Raven sighed heavily – he just wasn't going to give up was he? – and shook his head; "Not long." he said simply, then shot a sharp glare in the boys direction, "Look, can you just be quiet? I don't really care for small talk."

"_Well neither do I, but at least I'm trying!"_ Gil thought to himself; why was this man being so difficult? "Mister-" he frowned; what was he supposed to call him? "Raven, I think Master Oz would want us to get along, so maybe we should…" the teen trailed off when the man he was addressing scoffed. He frowned, offended, and turned his head in Raven's direction, "What?"

"I'm just wondering what makes you think _you_ know what Oz would like."

Gil blinked; what sort of question was that? And what was with that tone? It sounded almost patronizing… The young servant instantly felt his body tense, feeling defensive. "Because… I'm Master's Oz's servant," he said simply, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. Which, from Gil's point of view, it was. "So I… I just know..."

"Well, I am also Master Oz's servant," Raven said, turning slightly on his chair so they were both facing each other, his eyes narrowed, "But considering we've worked together, lived together, fought together and generally spent more time together than you and he have, I think I know him a little better than you."

Gil caught himself with his mouth hanging open in shock at the man's words, the hostility and possessiveness in his voice, and quickly shut it.

Was Raven… Was he _challenging_ him? Was he actually saying that his relationship with Master Oz was somehow superior to Gils'? What right did he have to make that assumption? Just because he'd spent a further nine years or so training for his master didn't mean that he was any more devoted to Oz than Gil was!

Raven tried to hide a smirk when he remained silent, and the young servant narrowed his eyes.

This _was_ a challenge, and Raven thought he was winning.

The younger servant's hands fisted on his knees.

Gil did not like confrontation. In most situations he was quite happy to slip into the background and not get involved, or simply wait and let the storm pass. But when his master was involved…

"So you're saying I'm wrong?" he asked, all pleasant pretense gone from his voice, leaving behind nothing but a tone of icy venom. Raven frowned, and the teen regarded him with a sharp stare of his own, golden eyes locked, each pair daring the other to look away, "Maybe you have had some extra time with Master Oz, but that doesn't mean anything; I understand him just as well as you do."

Raven audibly growled; he hadn't expected the boy to respond like that, even if he did know his tendency to act surprisingly confident whenever Oz was involved. He leaned forward slightly in the chair and said, "Just stay away from him."

Gil's eyes widened for a moment, and then he grit his teeth, instant fury alighting in his chest, "Why should I? He'd not yours; you can't just take my master away from me!"

Raven slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair without thinking; he was not coordinating his thoughts anymore, he was just reacting. "He's _my_ master!"

"And mine!" Gil cried, jumping to his feet, beating his right fist against his chest, "He's my master too!"

Raven was on his feet almost instantly, towering over his younger self, who didn't shrink away from his harsh glare. Both had their fists clenched by their sides, eyes blazing, their shoulders stiff and their entire posture strained with tension. "Get lost!" Raven spat.

Gil took a defiant step forward, raising his fists in front of him, "I won't!"

"Oz has me so he _doesn't need you_!"

Gil faltered slightly, clearly pained by what Raven had said, but after a moment of silence he shook his head, the fire returning to his eyes, "A-As if you would know!"

"I do know!"

"No you don't!"

Outside the room a number of Pandora members cast each other uncertain glances as the voices within grew louder and harsher, one of those familiar with the situation racing to locate and hurry back the boy that was unintentionally responsible for the confrontation. Raven and Gil began to yell over each other, no longer arguing back and forth, just firing their own justifications for staying by their master's side. Raven tried to convince the child he was not needed, that Oz only needed one servant, and that was him. Gil claimed that his master still needed him, that he'd stay by his master's side no matter what, that nothing his older self said could change his mind.

"Oz would never leave me behind!" Gil cried.

"I know what Oz wants because-!" Raven growled.

"Because Master Oz is my-!" "Because Oz is my-!"

"Gil!"

The door of the room burst open with force, silencing the two dark-haired individuals almost instantly and pulling their attention away from each other to the blonde boy standing in the door. Oz was breathing heavily, have rushed back to the room as quickly as possible when a member of Pandora had found him and told him of the aggressive confrontation that had sounded from his servants' room. "What…" he panted, "What's going on?"

Raven and Gil turned their eyes to the floor when they caught Oz's disapproving gaze. The younger of the two blushed with embarrassment when he realized how irrationally he had acted, the other merely grit his teeth in frustration and cursed under his breath. Alice appeared by Oz's side a moment later, leaning around her contractor to study the two people inside the room.

Raven raised his eyes from the floor, his gaze meeting similar gold orbs as he did. They glared at one another.

So… They were both on the same page now… Whether or not they were essentially the same person, both saw each other as an obstacle, and obstruction, a potential threat to their relationship with Oz. And with such a high price at stake, neither had any intention of backing down.

"_Oz is mine."_

Gil felt somewhat confused and flustered at the sudden thought that crossed both his and Raven's mind almost simultaneously, avoiding the gaze of the other man and his master by staring at the floor, while Raven's chest flared with aggression. Yes, Oz _was_ his, and no one else could have him. Not even a younger version of himself.

Alice turned to Oz and pointed an accusing figure at the two Gil's, who had fallen silent and were looking anywhere but at their master. "Told you they'd fight."

Oz slapped his hand against his forehead. "That you did, Alice…"

The trip back to the Reinsworth Mansion was going to be a long one.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

Writing about two Gil's is harder than I thought ^_^;

Please leave a review if you feel so inclined, and thank you for reading! ^_^


	7. Chapter 6

Didn't I tell you it was already half written? ^_^ I have far too much fun writing Alice, I'll need to write a different fic with her :) Also I apologise for the length; I seem to have gotton into the flor of this story and can't help myself getting carried away! ^_^;

I haven't actually done a final proof-reading just yet, but hopefully there aren't too many mistakes! I'll fix them late,r I just wanted to get this up before I go away for the weekend :)

This chapter is more for fixing everyones emotions... Hope you enjoy! ^_^ And once again thank you for the reviews! I shall respond to them as soon as I get back :)

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 6**

**O-O-O**

Gil didn't have any possessions of his own, and so the moment the magic circles that had been containing him inside his room were removed and Pandora had given the group the go-ahead they were allowed to leave for the Reinsworth mansion. Which suited Alice perfectly; she always wondered why there was always so much ceremony in Pandora; she hated all the waiting around, the guards, the paperwork… It was such a waste of time.

Raven hadn't said anything since Oz had yelled his two servants for arguing, and now that Alice thought about it the other Seaweed-Head hadn't spoken much either, both of them choosing to act as if the other did not exist. No one knew the details of the fight, but Alice didn't care. They fought, simple as that. She always fought with Raven after all, she knew how irritating he could be. And she didn't find it one bit surprising that he had managed to grate on even his own nerves.

The group was presently making its way back to the carriage Oz, Alice and Raven had arrived in. Alice had announced that she wanted to sit next to Gil and tell him all about his new duties as a servant of a servant, but Oz had coaxed her out of that idea by promising to take her shopping for meat later. Gil, who had appeared quite uncomfortable with the prospect of sitting next to the energetic, somewhat scary girl, had looked at Oz in complete disbelief, sure he'd misheard ("_Meat_?"), but the blonde had just laughed as Alice cheered.

Oz muttered something about Alice taking 'the 'pet' comment' too seriously, but the chain ignored him, spinning around the moment she reached the carriage and pointing directly at Raven's face, "Big Seaweed Head, you cook dinner tonight!" She demanded, a defiant smirk on her face that said she knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it. She would never admit she thought the man was the best at cooking meat, but sometimes she worried that he had guessed, considering the amount of times she demanded his services above others in a house full of private cooks.

Raven merely stared at her in response before opening his mouth, as if to question her, but decided against it. "Fine." He muttered, walking past Oz and Gil to hold open the carriage door, as was his habit.

Alice frowned; well that wasn't any fun, he hadn't put up a fight. That could hardly count as a victory, so Alice couldn't chalk it up as such on the scoreboard in her head. She was leading already, of course, but a few extra points didn't hurt.

If he didn't have the energy to fight with her… _"He must be upset with all this."_ She thought, and was shocked to find herself feeling concerned. What? She didn't care about Seaweed-Head! He was just a stupid… Stupid Seaweed! ... Head!

"Hmph!" she spun and leapt to the first step of the carriage before Oz or Gil could attempt to enter, turning to Raven and flicking his nose hard, earning an exclamation of pain from the man, "It better taste good!" she boomed, ducking quickly into the carriage before he had a chance to swing a punch at her or something.

He didn't; he just continued to hold the door open and rub his nose, silent.

Alice sat down and folded her arms. He was _really_ upset.

Oz pushed Gil into the carriage ahead of him, who didn't seem to know if he should sit next to or across from Alice. She grumbled – why was every little decision such a big deal? - then kicked her heel against the seat opposite her and yelled "Sit down!"

"A-Alright!" Gil fumbled, almost throwing himself into the empty space across from the aggravated chain. He seemed pretty jumpy, more like a rabbit than Alice herself in that sense.

Oz paused in the doorway to say something to Raven, so quietly that Alice wasn't able to hear, then stepped into the carriage and took a seat next to Gil, giving the uncomfortable-looking boy a smile and friendly pat on the shoulder, asking if he was alright, to which the teen nodded with a smile of his own. The young Vassalius had decided against scolding his servants for choosing to ignore one another, preferring the certainty that everyone would make it back to the mansion with as few feathers ruffled as possible. The elder servant spoke to the horseman, then got in, seating himself next to Alice without complaint and folding his arms as the carriage jerked into motion.

"You must be glad to finally be out of there," Oz said, smiling brightly at his younger servant, "We're staying at the Reinsworth mansion right now, with Break and Miss Sharon. You know them, right?"

"I have heard of Miss Sharon, but we've never met," Gil answered, then made a face, "Xerxes Break I know all too well."

Oz laughed and leaned back in the seat, "I think most people feel that way about him!"

Alice nodded in agreement, "Knowing that stupid clown at all is too much!"

"I bet Miss Sharon is going to _love_ you though," Oz said with a grin, one that made Gil retreat slightly into the corner of the carriage, "So just a word of warning."

"What sort of warning?" Gil asked, uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm not sure," Oz shrugged, still grinning, "But I just get the feeling you need it!"

Alice leaned back in her seat as the young Vassalius continued speaking with his servant. Normally, she would have been frustrated by the fact her manservant wasn't paying attention to her, but right now she was more interested in Raven. What was wrong with him, anyway? Was he really that bothered by the dark-haired boy seated across from her? She was one of two different Alice's, and Oz was often seen as another Jack, so why was he getting so upset over the appearance of a second him? The rest of them were able to deal with it just fine; it wasn't _that_ strange!

"Psh," she scoffed, crossing her legs and leaning against the window, away from Raven. She didn't like worrying about people, especially useless fools like him. It frustrated her. "Stupid Seaweed-Head."

The fact he didn't respond with his usual 'Shut up Stupid Rabbit!' only frustrated her more.

Oz suddenly paused mid-sentence when he noticed that Gil did not seem to be paying attention. His tired eyes were staring at something just past his master, yet they did not seem to be seeing anything. Oz reached over and poked the boy's forehead lightly, causing the young servant to blink and look him in the eyes, "Are you sure you're alright Gil? You look a little pale."

"Mm… I'm just a little tired," Gil said with a weak smile, failing to restrain a yawn that chose to surface at that particular moment, as if trying to justify his statement, "It's nothing to worry about, I'm fine."

"Have you been losing sleep?"

"A little…"

"Hmm…" Oz frowned; hadn't Break said that Pandora had been treating Gil pretty well for the last week? Granted, being trapped in the same room for weeks on end on suspicion of being a Chain would probably take its toll on anyone, but Gil really was looking unwell, more-so since his argument with Raven. If he hadn't been feeling well beforehand he had probably just burned up too much energy and was suffering the consequences now. He'd been through a lot today, after all. With a sigh he raised a hand and ruffled the boy's hair, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Sorry…"

Oz smacked his palm against the top of the boys head, causing him to flinch, and leaned back with his arms folded. "You're going straight to bed when we get back."

Gil frowned, "But it's only just past noon and you already made me-"

"Is that a 'but' I hear?" Oz said dramatically, placing his hand next to his ear and pretending to listen more carefully, "Because if so I think that counts as disobeying orders. And disobeying your master's orders means _punishment_!" Gil groaned quietly and the young Vassalius leaned a little closer to him, "So what was your answer again?"

Gil sighed, "Yes Master…"

"That's what a thought you said," Oz said, a satisfied smirk on his face. Leaning back again he let his eyes wander to the two silent figures sitting across from him; Alice was staring at her knees and casting odd glances in Raven and Gil's directions, where dark-haired man's expression was hidden behind his lowered wide-brimmed hat. After a moment of silence he said, "You two are being very quiet."

Raven merely grunted, but he sounded more tired than angry, so Oz let it slide.

"I don't feel like talking," Alice announced simply in explanation, but her attention instantly turned to Gil when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. His eyes had been drooping, his head bobbing tiredly, and just as she turned her attention to him he fell forward slightly. She instantly shot her leg up and his forehead crashed with the heel of her boot, causing the teen to leap back with an exclamation of pain. "You're not falling asleep on me, Little Seaweed-Head!"

"S-Sorry Miss Alice!" Gil said, rubbing the red mark on his forehead and blushing furiously. "I didn't mean-"

"Just don't do it again," Alice interrupted, crossing her legs once again and tossing her head to remove some of the loose strands of hair from her face.

Oz blinked in surprise; Alice had let Gil off without telling him to beg for forgiveness first? He chuckled, then looked to Raven and whispered, "Maybe you should try being polite to her more often, you might actually get along."

Raven raised his head slightly to regard Oz, and then the Chain next to him. He seemed to have calmed down a little; his expression had relaxed at least. "Once a Stupid Rabbit, always a Stupid Rabbit."

Alice shot him a glare, pointing at Gil, "When did you stop being cute?"

"Eh?" Gil's blush darkened; that was the second time she'd called him cute!

"Shut up!" Raven retorted.

"Make me!"

Gil leaned back in his seat in an attempt to create some distance between himself and the suddenly quarreling pair opposite him, casting his master a questioning (and somewhat worried) look when he noticed the blonde teen was smiling brightly.

Oz, seeing his servant's confusion, let out a content sigh and gestured to Raven and Alice, "Looks like the peace has returned for now."

"_Peace?!"_ If this was what 'Peace' looked like Gil couldn't help but worry about what lay in store for him in this new life he was about to enter.

The blonde chuckled at the servants unease, "Don't worry, I can fix this easy," he said, then leaned forward slightly. "Hey Alice!" he said in a musical tone, "How about we get your meat before we go home~?"

Raven and Alice instantly fell silent, their attention redirected to the blonde across from them. The former frowned "Oz-"

"Yes!" Alice punched the air, "Let's go shopping!" she announced in a voice girls her (apparent) age normally used when referring to new shoes.

Raven grumbled, "You spoil her too much…"

All Gil could do was stare, suddenly feeling bewildered, somewhat lost, as he stared at his Master, his elder self, and a carnivorous rabbit disguised as a young girl, all joking, laughing and bickering, the former two mostly instigated by the blonde by his side. The life he was stepping into now certainly was a strange one, very different to what he had experienced in the Vassalius or the Nightray House.

He leaned back and suppressed another yawn, his eyes drooping as he observed his older self conceding defeat and allowing Alice to continue to list all the food she wanted to purchase. Yes… A strange life…

He smiled softly when he heard his master's musical laughter.

Well… As long as Master Oz was there…

**O-O-O**

"Hold this!"

"Ah!" Oz fumbled and made a face, feeling his stomach twist as the energetic chain dumped a large, cold, sloppy piece of raw meat in his hands, "Aliiiiice you're supposed to let them wrap it first!" he almost cried, holding the item at arms length from his body, looking somewhat nauseous. He had never really had to handle raw meat, and he could say with certainty now he didn't like the feeling.

But Alice was already examine a rather delicious-and-therefore-expensive-looking steak, with such a look of hunger in her eyes that it seemed mere willpower alone was preventing her from devouring it then and there, regardless of whether it was cooked or not. With a sigh Raven removed his gloves and took the meat from his master, handing it back to the butcher to pack up with the rest of the items they had already purchased. Chicken, beef, pork products of every kind… and she still wanted more!

"You'll get fat if you eat all this!" Raven yelled at the chain, smacking his forehead when she merely replied 'You're fat!' and moved on. Had he really been expecting anything else? Then again, she never did seem to gain any weight, despite the amount she consumed. _"Where does she put it all?" _Looking like a young girl most of the time sometimes make him forget she was a fifteen foot tall monster.

Oz thanked the butcher and handed back the cloth he had given him to clean his hands with, then moved up to stand by Raven's side. "Wow, she's really going all out!" he said with a smile.

"You really shouldn't have given her free reign…" Raven said, pausing for a moment, before he suddenly whirled to face his master, "Hey wait, why am I paying for this?!"

"You're so slow Gil," Oz hummed pleasantly, and chuckled when the man groaned and began to mumble under his breath, "Good to see you're in a better mood." Instantly Oz wished he hadn't commented on it; he saw Raven's relaxed features grow a little tense, and a frown returned to his face, his mind clearly filling with images of the young servant that had fallen asleep in the carriage moments before the group had arrived in the marketplace (Oz had decided he needed all the sleep he could get, so had asked the horseman to keep an eye on him and tell him they wouldn't be long if he woke). The blond sighed heavily and laced his fingers together behind his head, "If it upsets you that much, I'll pay you back for the meat."

"Oz..."

"_Gil…"_ Oz frowned as the man's name drifted through his mind, glancing sideways at his servant. He had once again pulled his hat down over his face slightly, a nervous habit Break said he had picked up almost the moment he'd acquired the item. It didn't help him, though, when the person he was trying to hide from was shorter than him, and standing by his side, so that his heavy frown and solemn eyes were clearly visible.

Was he really that upset by the appearance of a younger version of himself? Certainly, Oz felt that if he was in Gil's position he would have felt a little overwhelmed by the news at first, but as always he would have just accepted it and tried to work things out.

But that was how he dealt with things, and Gil was not him. He was far more sensitive to his surroundings and disliked change, and even Oz had to admit that the sudden existence of a second self must make someone feel slightly anonymous, as if the idea of individual identity was a lie if someone could be simply duplicated. Maybe that was what was bothering him so much; did he think he was going to be replaced, maybe? _"No, no one would be stupid enough to think something like that."_

…'

"_Then again, this _**is**_ Gil we're talking about…"_

And knowing his servant that was exactly what was bothering him. And unless he wanted to disentangle further constricted emotions later on Oz know he would need to deal with the issue right now.

Raven needed reassurance.

So he grinned and kicked his servants shoe to get his attention.

"I'm just kidding. You know if I were you I'd be happy about everything that's happened today; with another Gil around your teasing will be systematically halved!" Oz beamed, then moved sideways slightly and nudged the man's side with his hip when he saw Raven's frown deepen, "But don't worry, I'll work extra hard to make up for that~!"

Raven blinked, raising his head slightly to look down at the blonde boy by his side, "What?"

"I'm _saying_ that just because I have two servants now doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with anything," Oz grinned, "Sure I have two servants now, but that just means I'll have to make sure I give you both the same amount of teasing. It should be fun; there are all sorts of ways to tease you now that I couldn't do when you were younger, like when I put alcohol in your drink at that party last week and-!"

"Y-You did that?!" Raven stuttered; he'd thought Master Oscar had done that, or maybe Break, but not Oz!

The teen laughed, "What? It's not my fault you're a bad bodyguard; you should keep a better eye on me!"

Raven could not help for smile at his master's antics; he always did tend to take the more unusual path when dealing with conflict or emotions in others, but the very fact he allowed himself to get involved in his servant's messy and often erratic feelings was a statement in itself. Raven knew that in his own, twisted little way, Oz was telling him exactly what he wanted to hear; that he cared, and that he didn't have to worry, that the younger boy back in the carriage was not a replacement and never could be. Granted, Oz did not understand the extent of his servant's fears, nor did he know why Raven was so afraid of the younger boy.

Younger, purer, familiar… so much better for Oz than he was, platonically or romantically. A threat. And despite his masters good intentions there was every possibility Raven _could_ be replaced by his younger self, at least in certain ways.

But Oz still cared for him. He hadn't cast him aside. And so he still had a chance with him, even if it did seem far less promising than it had that very morning…

But Raven had fought long and hard for ten years to save his master from the Abyss, spurred on solely by the tiny, near unimaginable hope that the feat was even possible.

So no matter how impossible it seemed, no matter the pain he would have to endure, no matter the extreme likelihood of his rejection, he would fight on. For the courage, and the right, to tell his master what it was he truly felt for him.

He chuckled softly and lifted his hat off his face, removing it completely to place it firmly on top of the young Vassalius' head, petting the boy's shoulder affectionately. _"Thank you Oz."_ he thought, smiling warmly.

The blonde pushed the front of the hat out of his face with a prod from his index finger, turning his head to smile up at Raven. _"No problem."_ It seemed to say.

"M-Miss that's not-!"

"I demand you let me taste that meat!"

"Get away from me!"

"I think you should go save that pedestrian Alice is trying to mug," Oz smiled awkwardly in the direction of the savage chain, chuckling when Raven disappeared from his side, arms flailing as he yelled at Alice to release the poor woman's basket. The young blonde's hands felt around the rim of his servant's hat as he moved to lean against the wall beside the butchers and observed the scene. He did so slowly, almost affectionately, the coarse material of the item almost as familiar to him as the man that wore it. Wrapping his fingers around the brim gently he pulled the item down over his eyes, as Raven often did. Larger on his head than his servants, he could pull it down to cover the top half of his face without taking the item off, the wide-brim concealing the rest. He could see how Raven would pick up the habit; it did feel somehow safer hiding like this.

"_It smells like him…"_ he thought.

He vaguely wondered why this interested him, before raising his hands to peek out from under the hat at the dark-haired man apologizing to a rather aggravated women. _"Gil… How could you ever think I would replace you?"_

The simple fact of the matter was that Oz didn't think he was physically capable of doing such a thing. He didn't even wish to speculate what life would be like without his servant; having Gil by his side was natural to him, as natural as the existence of any other part of his body; he didn't think about it, he didn't have to look for it, never felt the need to, because he knew it was always there. So too with Gil. To lose his servant would be…

He shook those thoughts from his mind. Gil was his servant, and Gil was Raven, but first and foremost Gil was his friend. Just because the Abyss had caused him to appear before Oz in two different forms didn't mean he had to choose. He had promised to take care of his servant for the rest of his life, and that was what he was going to do. It was that simple.

When the crisis with the woman had been averted and Raven had convinced Alice she had bought enough food (by showing her his empty wallet) they trio returned to the carriage heavily laden with goods.

Gil was still asleep when they returned, his body tucked comfortably into his corner of the carriage, his head resting against the window-pane. He didn't even twitch when the trio got back into the carriage, talking animatedly, and loudly at that. Dead to the world was the only way to describe him. Oz had to try very hard to resist the urge to pinch his cheeks and pull hard on his face, as he had done whenever his servant had fallen asleep before nightfall in their younger days.

Oz did not return Raven's hat when they seated themselves in the carriage and began the journey home, and the dark-haired servant never asked for it. Oz always found this surprising, considering how possessive he was with the item, but he did not voice his ponderings. He leaned back in the seat and allowed his mind to wander, to return, to attempt to coordinate and define all the thoughts and emotions that had been running rampant since he had woken up that morning, concealed behind his usual façade, though shock at seeing his younger servant had temporarily fractured it.

His emotions…

Though he had thought nothing of it before, he now realized that there was an unfamiliar feeling in his heart… Something he could not describe. A tightening, something painful, but it wasn't his Death Clock that was causing it. It rested in his chest, light, silent, but ever present.

It made him a little worried, this phantom feeling.

"_I've got enough to think about right now_," he thought, lifting Raven's hat from his head and placing the item on his lap, his fingers tracing the item's frame, _"Leave that for another time…"_

It could wait.

Plastering a content smile on his face Oz joined in with the heated dinner-related conversation that had, predictably, erupted between his chain and his best friend, the younger of his two servants dozing quietly by his side.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

I'm trying not to make this fic lean either way at this point; it makes the coming conflict more interesting! ^_^ Now that emotions have been dealt with the shipping can begin! ^_^


	8. Chapter 7

I don't even remember how many times this chapter has been rewritten ^_^; It eventually became my self-indulgent chapter; I wanted to write both these scenes so badly I just went with it ^_^ I halved it to keep it within the 4,000 word limit I've placed on myself, though... Looking at it now it may have suffered for it, but I want to get the shipping/plot going so consider this a transfering chapter.

The ending has been finalized, but the problem is reaching it without dragging the story out too much. I've already cut out large, unnecessary sections of the plot out of the planning, but I would like to know:

**Would you rather I included more frequent time-skips to speed up the process?**

Alright, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of 'Loyalty'! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 7**

**O-O-O**

"Is there a _reason_ you're all in here?"

Oz took one last look at the simmering pot that contained something brown and green, which he instantly decided he would be moving from his plate to Raven's if the man so much as thought to give it to him, then spun around to smile brightly at the man standing by the cutting table, sprinkling some kind of herb mixture over one of Alice's steaks. Said chain was standing to Raven's left, watching intently and trying, as she always did, to understand how the mans cooking could possibly taste good when he was so very useless himself. Break was simply seated on the counter behind the two, snacking on treats that seemed to pop out of thin air. The Reinsworth kitchen was relatively empty save a few emergency chiefs, the majority of the household having already had dinner. "Why not?" Oz asked, "It's not like there isn't enough room~!"

Raven sighed and opened his mouth to respond, but grunted instead when Alice poked his side hard, "Cook faster, Seaweed-Head!"

"Look, if you want it raw then just take it!" Raven yelled, holding the tray of uncooked meat up in front of her nose. He gawped as the girl reached up to grab the item, pulling it out of reach at the last minute, "Don't eat it like that you barbarian!"

"Barbarian? That's new," Oz mused.

Alice frowned, "But you told me to-!"

"I wasn't serious!" the Nightray heir grumbled and walked past the scowling chain with a huff, "Don't you have something better to do than watch me cook your dinner?"

"I wonder what Miss Sharon wants with Gil," Oz said, completely ignoring his servant's question, a smile tugging on his lips as he heard his servant grumble in annoyance. When the group had arrived at the mansion Gilbert had yet to wake, and though it earned a scowl and a few minutes of mumbled complaints afterwards, Raven had reluctantly carried his younger self into the mansion and to the guest rooms.

Along the way they had meet Sharon, her eyes lighting up dangerously bright at the sight of the sleeping Gilbert, and appearing disheartened that there were no plans to wake him. She offered to have a maid check on him every half hour, saying that she would wake him when it was time to eat as she would like to speak with him before dinner. It was almost seven o clock in the evening now, the remainder of the day spent doing paperwork or simply relaxing, and everyone was hungry, so they had decided there was no point in waiting for Gilbert any longer. "She seemed very insistent about talking to him."

"Milady always did regret never getting to meet him growing up," Break said, popping a sugar-cube in his mouth and grinning in Raven's direction, "I always knew cute little Gilbert was her type."

Raven very nearly dropped Alice's food right into the fire at that. Thankfully he caught it at the last second, letting out a soft sigh of relief. He'd be sporting quite a few bruises if he'd ruined her precious meat.

Now what had surprised him? Oh right, Sharon. He being 'her type'. Right.

"Shut up," he said flippantly, choosing to focus entirely on the task at hand. Sometimes he resented the fact Alice did not appreciate the effort he put into her meals; she didn't even enjoy it, she just shoveled everything down her throat, and never once did she thank him. Not that he ever expected she would. Stupid Rabbit.

"I… think Gil's in another world," Oz chuckled when Gil failed to respond to Break's further teasing ("Oho, looks like a struck a nerve! Does our little Raven happen to have forbidden feelings for Lady Reinsworth?"). The young Vassalius smiled and leaned against the counter, watching his servant work. Raven was always so particular about cooking, proud even, which was a quality rarely found in the man. When Alice would knock a tray of food to the floor, or Oz himself accidently ruin one of his servant's little masterpieces, it was almost painful to see the distress in he man's eyes. It reminded Oz very much of a child whose block tower had been knocked over. He would yell for a bit, clean up, and then he would get back to work as if nothing had happened. Except Oz could see he was upset, and childishly so, mumbling quietly to himself. If he had any less control he'd be pouting.

There was no other word for it; Raven was adorable when he got upset over his food.

Normally Oz would find it odd to think a man in this way, but when it was Gil it seemed alright. After all, lots of people thought he was cute, didn't they? Like when he got drunk and began openly expressing his feelings and throwing his arms around Oz protectively when anyone came near him. It always made him laugh, which made Raven embarrassed, which Oz also found adorable.

He was also pretty cute at times like this, when he was concentrating hard on a task others would consider flippant and menial. Yes, Oz did have fun causing havoc for his servant, upsetting him in his own little sadistic way to bring back memories of the good old days, which was quite often the reason for raiding the kitchen when the man was working. But recently he found himself just as content to sit on the counter and watch the man cook, fascinated by the concentration, speed and precision with which he worked. Since Oz knew next to nothing about cooking, the results always impressed him even more, and he couldn't help but admire his servant for his talent.

As he watched Raven now, a soft smile pulled on Oz's lips.

The tightening in his chest suddenly alighted again.

The blonde's smile faltered, but as quickly as it appeared the feeling was gone. What was it? He glanced back at Raven, something inside him ignited – something unsettling - and he quickly shook his head. _"Think about it later."_ He told himself, before his thoughts could fully form.

Think about it later… Why? Why did he keep cutting off his own thought process whenever he began to think about his servant recently? Was it…

"Oz, is this alright?"

"Hmm?" the young noble was relieved to be pulled from his musings by his servant's voice, raising his gaze to the man standing by the stove beside him. He blinked when he saw his servant holding out a spoon of the brown and green mess he'd been studying earlier, another hand beneath it in order to prevent any spilling, and looking at Oz with a strange, tense curiosity he didn't think he'd seen before.

Raven had started doing this a lot recently, asking his master to taste his meal while it was in progress so that he knew whether or not it needed to be altered to suit the blonde's tastes, and every time Oz would start up an argument just to get the man riled up.

"You don't expect me to eat that, do you?" He would say, to which Gilbert would simply respond that he needed to eat his vegetables, or that his eating habits were poor, or that he had liked it the week before. And Oz would continue to refuse until Raven gave up, then voice imagined complaints about his flawless dinner being too cold, or too spicy, or burnt, or undercooked. The last time he'd done that Raven had panicked and torn his dinner away from him, tossing it straight in the bin and giving Oz his own instead, saying something about food poisoning and apologizing repeatedly for a mistake he never made.

This time, though, Oz found himself simply leaning forward and sipping some of the disgusting-looking broth from the spoon without even thinking. Later he blamed it on guilt for the previous 'food poisoning issue', but at the moment he simply wanted to take part in the silly little moment of his servant offering to feed him something. Even if it was going to be disgusting. He prepared to suppress a grimace or shudder, but instead the awful-in-appearance meal proved to be the opposite in flavor.

"Well?" Raven's voice sounded slightly strained, as if he was nervous.

Was Oz's opinion really that terrifying? Well, he was feeling generous today. And it did taste delicious. Smiling brightly and standing up straight, he nodded enthusiastically, "Its perfect, Gil!"

He'd expected a smile, an expression of relief, maybe a sigh, not the shocked, flustered look and bright red face that followed. "I-It doesn't need more salt?" Raven asked, turning his attention back to the simmering pot.

Enjoying this response Oz grinned and turned, leaning his elbows against the counter and staring directly at the man's face, "Of course not; it's absolutely _perfect_." Ah, he really did love Gilbert's embarrassed expressions too much. But he was just so cute~!

"You don't need to overreact, it's just stew…" Gilbert mumbled awkwardly, hoping his face was not as red as it felt, though judging by the grin on his master's face he was glowing rather brilliantly. Which was exactly how he felt inside; when he had returned to the less taxing task of monitoring the stew his mind had wandered back to his younger self, his worries about the boy, the determination in his face when they had mutely challenged one another for Oz's attention… It was corny, like something a husband and wife would do in one of those eccentric romance novels Sharon owned, and it was hardly something to brag about – heck, Oz probably hadn't even been thinking about it when he did it – but with his master allowing him to feed him, at least in a sense, without appearing resistant… Well, it was a victory for him. A tiny, possibly meaningless victory, but he took it.

He tried to restrain the scenes of those romance novels playing out in his head, sickeningly sugary and terribly embarrassing, with himself and Oz as the actors. He the husband, Oz the wife (though wasn't it always the wife who feed the husband in those stories?), talking, laughing, playing, embracing…

It took a little longer for his blush to reside when he failed, something Oz continued to observe silently, unaware of his own distraction and still smiling softly.

"Hmm," Break hummed, swinging his legs and letting out a soft chuckle, "I think we're being left out of something, Miss Alice."

"What?" the chain tore her eyes from the slowly cooking steak and looked towards Break, then to Seaweed-Head and Oz when the silver-haired man's gaze did not shift from the pair. She tilted her head and frowned; why was Oz staring at him like that? And why was Raven red? "Are you hot?" No response. Instantly, the volume of her voice doubled, "Oi! Seaweed-Head! Are you hot or does your stupid face always go that color?"

That caught his attention; Raven stuttered and glared back towards the girl, frustrated that she had ruined the pleasant silence between himself and his master, "Shut up or I'll burn your meat!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Alice gasped, as if Raven had said something blasphemous.

"Want to bet?"

"Alright, alright!" Oz laughed, waving his arms slightly for emphasis, "Let's not fight around all this fire, hmm?"

"But-!"

"Excuse me?"

The excitement in the room instantly evaporated with the sound of a new voice on the scene, and all attention shifted to the maid standing in the doorway behind them. She bowed awkwardly, apologizing for the intrusion, then said, "Lady Reinsworth asked me to inform you that young Master Nightray has awoken and shall be joining you for dinner shortly."

Oz smiled brightly, "Really? That's good to hear!"

Raven felt his pleasant glow dim substantially at that, but quickly reminded himself of his little accomplishment; even if it was only something small, he had one up on the kid! At least that's what he told himself. Besides, he was the better cook. That had to count for something.

"I suppose he will arrive once Milady is finished with him," Break said, popping yet another hard candy in his mouth, "For Gilbert's sake I certainly hope her 'girl switch' isn't on."

"Girl switch?" Oz frowned.

Alice blinked and crouched down in front of the stove again, staring into the flames and her soon-to-be-devoured dinner, her mouth watering at the scent, "Isn't that when she goes crazy and tries to teach people about kissing?"

Oh, there was an idea Gilbert had never entertained; encouraging a relationship between a younger version of himself and a 23-year-old woman in a 13-year-old's body. The deceptively sweet Sharon Reinsworth and Gilbert Nightray. Personally, the thought made him shiver, and not because of the age difference; Sharon was a wonderful lady, but he'd seen her darker, fan-wielding side. However, if it got the brat off his and Oz's case it was all too welcome a concept. An outlandish and fanciful concept, but he could hope.

"I don't think she'll be teaching Gil about kissing, Alice!" Oz laughed.

"Why not?" Alice glanced back at the blond, "Does he know about kissing?"

"Of course not!" Break interjected before Oz could speak, his words causing Raven's shoulders to tense visibly, "Young Master Gilbert spent so much time training he had no time for kissing until the mistletoe incident five years ago!"

"Wait…" Oz grinned, "So you didn't kiss anyone until you were nineteen?"

Knowing he was caught and there was no way to defend himself, Gilbert turned around and continued mixing the stew, his face once again tinged red, "What's wrong with that?"

"Gil is _slow_…" Oz teased.

"So is she going to teach him about kissing or not?" Alice asked, to which Raven yelled a loud and final 'No!'.

Break simply chuckled and whispered, for no other reason other than to cast doubt in the trio's minds, "Ah, we'll see, we'll see…"

**O-O-O**

Gil wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for, but when he awoke he found himself lying in an incredibly comfortable bed in a room dimmed by drawn curtains, tempting him back into the land of dreams. Had he not been shocked to his senses by the sudden realization that he was in an unfamiliar room, he probably would have complied. He had blinked quickly, clearing his vision, and sat up with a shot, eyes darting about the room rapidly.

No sign of Oz.

He had shook the slightly dizziness in his mind from sitting up too quickly, then pushed the bedcovers off his body, shivering slightly at the sudden loss of warmth, and swung his legs off the side of the bed and directly into his shoes. There was only one thought in his mind; find Master Oz.

He was interrupted in his little mission, however, when the door of the room had opened upon his approach and he'd come face to face with one of the housemaids. Before he could protest she had taken his arm, pulled him down the hallway, and led him into a room where a young noblewomen (if that was the word for her; she looked younger than he was) sat waiting. It didn't take him long to figure out she must be Lady Sharon, which she confirmed upon the dismissal of her maid.

She had asked him a few questions – how he was, had he slept well, was he feeling better – and then they got down to business.

Which made Gilbert very, very uncomfortable.

"Excuse me… M-Miss Sharon?" he stuttered awkwardly, trying to keep himself composed but not doing very well. His eyes roamed over the rail of outfits lined in front of him, then to the collection of clothes directly to his right, his left, and then back to the young noble sitting in the armchair near the window. She sat quietly with her tea, her gaze lifting from the fragile teacup in her equally fragile-looking fingers to meet the boy's with a questioning look. Gil swallowed and straightened his shoulders; she was a noble after all, he had to show her respect (momentarily forgotting he was also of similar ranking). "I beg your pardon but… Is this really all necessary?" He asked, glancing back to the outfits behind him.

"Of course," Sharon said, smiling sweetly, "After all, any clothing you would have possessed in the Nightray mansion has been thrown out long ago, and I certainly cannot let my guests without something as basic as fresh attire."

Gil nodded in understanding, "That's very generous of you, Miss Sharon. But… These are…" he frowned and ran his gaze along the line of clothing once more, biting his lip.

Nothing but sailor-uniforms and suits in every bright color imaginable; yellow, white, green, blue, orange, he even saw something pink. But no black. Or navy. Or brown. Or anything even remotely suitable to his personal tastes. He didn't dare confirm what the green silk, lacey item at the back of the left-hand rail was. It looked far too much like a dress.

His gaze returned to Lady Sharon, still smiling sweetly, a quiet giggle escaping her lips. "Gilbert, some would consider it frightfully rude to refuse a gift from a lady."

Gil's stomach dropped; for a second, he was sure he was looking at Break. Or Oz when he had some sort of evil plan in mind. Or maybe some hideous combination of the two.

So without another word he reached out and plucked the darkest item of clothing from the railing, his luck failing miserable as it revealed itself as one of those long, dress-like robes his brother always seemed to have his eye on. Personally, Gilbert thought they were hideous.

"What an interesting choice," Sharon's chimed, "Do go and try it on."

That beautiful, bright smile had him fearing for his life, so he complied. Then he had to try on the closer-to-yellow-than-brown suit, then the green, lacey trench coat (he was simply thankful it wasn't a dress), then several sailor suit uniforms, while Sharon lost all demeanor and gushed over him like a proud mother would her baby. The outfits became more refined and less extreme as he continued, exhausted after only a few minutes and feeling more nervous and – yes, he would say it – violated than he had ever done in his entire life. It wasn't like she followed him behind the screen or anything, but she stared at him so intently, and touched his clothes and arms so freely, it just felt invasive.

When she was left momentarily speechless when Gilbert emerged wearing dark blue pants and black boats, a white shirt and cravat, blue vest and elegant, sky-blue trench coat, the dark-haired boy knew he wouldn't be taking this outfit off any time soon. The silence was short, however, before she began to coo and complement how adorable and handsome he was. If she caused him to blush one more time he was sure he would pass out from all the blood rushing to his head.

"_Miss Sharon is…"_ he thought as she forced him to sit and instantly began combing his hair back, tying it with a dark blue ribbon and generally treating him as if he were her own personal, living doll, _"Scary…"_

Once she was satisfied with his appearance she pulled the young noble to his feet and stood him before a mirror to view her 'handiwork' as she called in one of the maids to remove a few of the other outfits to Gilbert's room for later use. He had to admit, he didn't look… Hideous. He was passable, at least, which was a rather high compliment coming from the insecure teenager. But the outfit was so beautiful, and alighted a somewhat nostalgic feeling within him; he really didn't feel worthy of wearing it.

"Miss Sharon, I really don't deserve-"

"Don't be silly, Gilbert. You're a noble member of the Nightray family; you should dress as such," she nodded as she placed the hairbrush back on her dressing table, returning quickly to the boy's side, "Now, Master Oz and the others are waiting for us down in the dining area," she turned and nodded lightly towards the doorway, "Shall we?"

'Shall we'? What did that mean? Was he supposed to offer his arm to her? He turned slowly and took a testing step forward – if she didn't move, it meant he was supposed to escort her. He almost sighed with relief when she began to walk a step ahead of him, though he couldn't help but notice it appeared a little reluctant, as if she had only decided to move at the last moment. He followed her out of the room, praying he would never have to be trapped within those four walls with the young girl ever again, and down the hallway in silence.

At least they were going to where his master was. That cheered him, but his smile faltered and his gaze lowered to his outfit in the same instance. He couldn't believe he was going to have to go to see Oz dressed like _this._ There was no way everyone was dressed up for dinner; he would stand out far too much! If it had been black at least, rather than a bright, attention-seeking blue, with its shiny gold buttons, beautiful golden stitching, fine leather boots…

Master Oz was going to tease him mercilessly for this.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

_Does anyone recognize Gilbert's outfit? :)_

Raven is now determined to win his self-fabricated contest for Oz's affections. What will he do when his younger self and his master get close in the next chapter? You'll have to wait and see! ^_^


	9. Chapter 8

_Answer: Gilbert's outfit was based on the one he was wearing in the anime when he and Vincent appeared in the Will of Abyss's room ^_^_

This chapter is extra long because I didn't want to break up the final section :) The plot has actually progressed quite a bit even if it may not seem so; a lot of what happened here was going to be saved for a future chapters :)

I want to that my reviewers, **Yana5**, **Bronze** **Eagle**, **kyotoprincess**, **Emerald Twin Blade**, **Mizuki hikari**, **KyoxSakiFan**, **panda**,** Cookie-thief X3** and **happyllama**, for taking the time to review! ^_^ I really appreciate your input and your opinions really help me with this story ^_^

This chapter focuses mainly on the Gilbert; I believe it's his turn after all the emphasis on Raven! I hope you enjoy! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 8**

**O-O-O**

Just as Gilbert had predicted, Oz paused the moment his servant came into view, gave his outfit a quick once over, and then began to laugh loudly, though a sharp glare from Miss Sharon had silenced him quick enough. It didn't stop him grinning knowingly at the dark-haired boy, however, which was almost worse than the outright taunting.

That, and Miss Sharon's constant insistence that he looked handsome, and should tie his hair back more often, and that she would have to find some more clothes for him made for a very uncomfortable few minutes, until Alice bound into the room and loudly asked why everyone was making a fuss over him.

"What's so special about him?" she folded her arms, "No matter how you dress him up, he's still a Seaweed-head."

"_I think I should be offended by that…"_ Gil thought, but because he was so unused to taking complements from anyone the chains jab provided him with more relief than anything. Thankfully the conversation was directed by Alice after that, which revolved primarily around meat, meat, and more meat. Gilbert found himself relaxing into everyone's company, even with his master jabbing him in the side with his elbow repeatedly and tugging on his sleeves until he got his point across and his servant was blushing or scowling at him.

Which only made Oz laugh, causing Gilbert to smile, which earned them a confused stare from Sharon and an angry exclamation from Alice, who didn't like to be left out of anything.

Then Raven had appeared.

Despite swearing to himself he would try to patch things up with the man over dinner, the moment the pair set eyes on each the tension in the room thickened noticeably. He didn't want to fight with the older man… If nothing else, he was important to his master, and so he should at least tolerate him. But the way he had spoken to him back at Pandora…

Gilbert wanted to be civil with Raven, but the elder Nightray clearly wasn't interested. He wouldn't take part in the man's game, but he wasn't going to back down either. Not when it concerned his master.

Unfortunately, the young Nightray didn't know the battlefield, this new world, and so Raven had the upper hand; breezing into the room with a small trolley of dinner-plates he moved around the table and set everyone's meal, and much to Alice's surprise, but not Gilbert's, he placed her meal to Oz's left without any prompt from her. The young servant narrowed his eyes as his own plate was placed next to Alice, and Sharon's next to his. Trapped between a chain who unsettled him and a noblewoman who scared him even more, both of which seemed interested enough in speaking to him to prevent any conversation with his master.

Raven caught the boy's disapproving gaze as he removed the ribbon tying his hair back, and the smile that tugged at his lips caused Gilbert's stomach to twist angrily, his fiery gaze only leaving the elder man's when Miss Sharon beckoned him to sit.

His elder self was sneaky.

But it all came to nothing, because the young Vassalius asked Alice to swap seats with him, leaving the chain next to Raven and Oz next to Gilbert. The young servant had to resist the desire to mirror the man's earlier defiant smirk, but the urge quickly vanished and was replaced with an unjustified (at least he thought so, given the circumstances) pang of guilt when he saw the way the man glanced at their master as the blonde took his new seat. He looked… Hurt.

Well… If Oz had simply taken his place between Alice and Raven without a second thought, Gilbert probably would have been upset also. He sighed quietly; really, he never thought that when he finally got his master back (which, admittedly, had taken a lot less time than he'd originally thought) that he would have to contend for his attention. Not like this. Not as if it was an all or nothing situation, that Oz would only choose either himself or Raven, and discard the other.

He wanted to think that his master could divide his attention between them, that they 'share' his time, that they could get along and in doing so not cause any trouble for Oz.

But despite what his head told him…

He couldn't understand the impulse, but…

"_I don't… I don't _want_ to share my Master… Not with Raven, or Miss Alice… Or anyone…_"

Which wasn't a new feeling. Often when his master would entertain guests, or even when he played with his sister, Gilbert had felt this way. Which was ridiculous. What reason did he have to be upset? Oz was his master, and already spoke with him more, treated him better and thought of him more dearly than any noble should a servant. He had far more than he could have ever hoped for in a master, and yet he found he wanted more. But more what? Oz had already given him protection, meaning, friendship; what had he left to give? And whatever it was, did he even deserve it? Why did he feel this way to begin with?

"_I don't understand…"_ he thought to himself. He'd struggled with these feelings when he was still in the Vassalius mansion, but he had never been able to come up with a reason for them. Was he just protective, maybe a little possessive - "_Alright, _very_ possessive_…" – of his master? Was that why he felt like this? Or was it something else?

Something else?

But… The only answer that seemed to make any sense… Was impossible…

He was only too glad to speak to Miss Sharon when his thoughts began to trail down that path, saying that the clothes he were wearing were a little too warm in order to excuse his slightly red-tinged face. No, _that_ was impossible. He was just tired and confused; a lot had happened since he had woken up that morning, after all, and back in the mansion it had been his teenage hormones confusing him, making him think he felt things he didn't.

That's all it was… Because to think of his master like _that_ was not right.

"Gil, is that really all you're eating?" Oz asked at the end of the meal as Raven moved around to collect everyone's plates and return them to the kitchen for cleaning. The blonde had barely spoken more than two sentences to either of his servants between eating his own food, rescuing Gil from conversing with Sharon long enough for the servant to get a few spoonfuls of food in his mouth, and quelling Alice's demands for meat by giving her his own. He also ordered Raven to hand his over to her, but he refused, while Gilbert gladly offered his to the hungry chain; meat was a bit too heavy for his presently weak appetite anyway, and maybe it would get him some brownie points with the temperamental girl that would come in handy if he angered her later.

The young Nightray frowned and looked down at his meal. In truth, though he was hungry he didn't think his stomach could handle anything solid at the moment - his body still felt as if it had yet to wake up - so he had only drank the liquid portion of the stew and chewed some of the softer vegetables in it. "I'm not very hungry." He said simply, but Oz didn't look convinced. Unsurprising, since Gil hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast.

"First you're not sleeping and now you're not eating," he said, his tone disapproving. Gil frowned and lowered his head, feeling as though he had done something wrong, "You have to take care of yourself Gil."

"I know," he nodded softly, "I'll be fine; I guess I'm still trying to get settled."

"Don't get too comfortable," Raven said as he reached around and took Gil's plate from the table, "Won't be here long."

"Oh, do we have a new assignment?" Oz asked, and Gilbert honestly couldn't tell if his master was purposefully ignoring it, or had he really not heard the sharpness in Raven's tone. That statement had been directed at him, and Gilbert felt the barrier between them grow stronger by the second.

"Actually there was a report of another chain sighting sent an hour ago. A few towns over," Break announced from his place on the windowsill, where he had remained throughout dinner and only let his presence become known in order to tease Sharon about her 'obsession' with Gilbert, "They want me to look into it; I told them my subordinates would take care of it~!"

"Of course…" Oz chuckled quietly while Raven scoffed, saying something about laziness and idiots. Gilbert frowned; chains brought back memories of the Abyss… Was Oz really going to get involved in an assignment like that? Before he could ask any questions, however, Sharon spoke.

"Gilbert, would you be so kind as to help Raven with the tea?"

"Excuse me?" Gil frowned; truthfully, he'd felt uncomfortable sitting and being served rather than doing the serving (it had taken a lot of restraint to prevent himself from clearing the table as Raven did), but he hadn't expected to be asked to work with Raven. And just when he'd gotten the chance to talk to his master too…

"I don't need help, Sharon," Raven said quietly, but the noblewoman waved her hand dismissively.

"Nonsense," she said, "an extra set of hands would do no harm."

"But-" Raven began, but instantly shut his mouth when Sharon smiled brightly in his direction with a pleasant 'Yes Gilbert?'. Knowing he was defeated, he signed heavily and placed the last plate on the trolley, then began to wheel it towards the door, "Come on brat."

Reluctantly, Gilbert rose from his seat and made to follow his elder self, casting a questioning glance back at his master, who simply grinned in the most mocking manner he could muster. _"Helpful, master…"_

"Make sure you wear an apron, Gilbert," Miss Sharon said as he closed the door, "After all, we don't want those clothes to get dirty."

"Miss Sharon…" the worried tone in Oz's voice, accompanied with a cackle from Emily and soft chuckle from Break, gave Gilbert the distinct impression he had made a lucky escape in only being forced into yellow suits and bright, lacey jackets.

He viciously underlined the note in his head to never, _ever_ be left alone with Miss Sharon again.

**O-O-O**

"I can make tea, you know…"

"Just stay out of my way," Raven sighed, moving around the kitchen swiftly. The brat, which was what he had decided to call the boy since he refused to call him by name, frowned and folded his arms behind his back, leaning against the counter and remaining quiet. Good. That's what he wanted. He could work much better when people weren't in his way.

Not a word was shared between the two as Raven waited for the water to boil, glancing back at the boy momentarily and catching the tail-end of what looked to have been a jaw-aching yawn. Contagious as they are, he found himself yawning also, which only made him scowl. Stupid kid, making him tired… At least he wasn't being noisy.

What had Sharon been thinking? Had she been trying to get them to speak to one another, or had she really just wanted to see his younger self wearing an apron? He shook his head; knowing Sharon, it was most likely the latter. That woman had issues he was glad he was too old to be a part of… Though that didn't stop her teasing him. Why was he one of the only adults she felt the urge to taunt?

Well, whatever she had been thinking it hadn't worked; the brat and he were not talking, and because he wasn't doing anything the boy had no reason to wear an apron. End of her spontaneous scheme; the result was failure.

A few more minutes, and the water was ready. Just as he removed the whistling pot from the stove and moved to pour the scalding hot water into the awaiting tea pot, however, Raven felt a pressure against his back and a soft scratching against his skin, his shirt suddenly pulled a little tighter. He started at the sudden contact, thankful he had avoided spilling any hot water on himself, and placed the pot back down before glancing backwards. _"What on earth is he…?"_

Gilbert had walked up behind Raven and presently had his forehead pressed against the man's back, his fists clenching some of the material of the man's shirt lightly and his eyes shut gently, though Raven could not be sure of the latter due to the angle. Even as he watched, the young Nightray turned his head and rested the side of his face against Raven's back, not saying a word, barely making a sound save his gentle breathing. "H-hey brat, what are you doing?" he asked quietly; how was he supposed to react to this? What was he even doing?

Well, he wasn't responding for one, so Raven yelled, "Hey! Brat!"

"Wh-what?" Gilbert blinked blearily, paused, and all at once released Raven's shirt and took several quick steps backwards. "Wh-what was I-?!" He started, looking around the room quickly, as if the answer to his half-formed question would appear somewhere within it.

"You tell me," Raven said, forgetting about tea and turning to face the boy, "What was that?"

"I don't… I don't know. What was I doing?" Gil blinked and turned his attention back to the man standing by the stove, "I… I think I feel asleep…"

"… You feel asleep?" Raven said incredulously. "Standing up? In a noisy kitchen? And then you sleepwalked over to me and did that, all in the space of time it took to boil a tea pot?"

The teenager blushed as the man spoke, then, awkwardly, said, "W-Well I was thinking I was tired, and that it was nice a warm here, then I… Well… I don't really remember…" Gilbert's hands suddenly shot to his side and he bowed the top half of his body, his loose bangs falling to conceal his quickly reddening face, "I'm sorry!"

Raven sighed and shook his head, "Don't do weird stuff like that," he said as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. That look on the brat's face… He'd never seen himself make it, but it was still all too familiar; he didn't like that he knew exactly how uncomfortable the brat was suddenly feeling just by looking at him, and listening to him.

"Go get the snacks; cupboard to your left, bottom shelf, at the back."

Gilbert didn't move for a moment, apparently surprised to be given a task, before he quickly began rooting in the cupboard for the cookie tin. "Is this-?"

"Yes."

"And where are the-?"

"Next cupboard, top shelf. Don't break them."

"I won't… Ah! These ones are Master Oz's favorites!" the teenager said as he peered into the box, then frowned, "Wait… Are they still?"

"Yes," Raven nodded as he stirred the tea in the pot before replacing the cover, "but don't put them all on the plate because-"

"Because he _will_ eat them all," Gilbert smiled, "Gluttonous in treats only."

"That he is," Raven agreed with a smile of his own, memories of his master complaining about an aching stomach and scolding his servant for making him eat so many delicious treats flooding back to him. His smile quickly vanished when he realized who he was speaking to, however. _"I'm just giving him something to do so he doesn't fall asleep and do something like that again… Whatever it was," _Raven told himself, glancing back to make sure the young boy didn't drop anything, _"We're still enemies!"_

And he meant it; he would never trust or care for his younger self, not when the boy stood in the way of his happiness.

Gilbert, who leapt on the opportunity to try and coax the few cracks in the wall between himself and Raven, tried to continue the conversation with him, but after only a few decent answers the elder man fell into silence once again, responding with as few, unfeeling words as possible. Easily disheartened after the argument between them that morning, Gilbert quickly conceded. Within minutes, the momentary flicker of potential friendship was quenched, and the pair returned to the dining room in complete silence.

**O-O-O**

Gilbert sighed heavily as he pushed open the door to his temporary room, feeling completely drained despite the fact he had slept for most of the day already.

Conversation over tea had been limited to the newest assignment Oz and Alice were to set out on tomorrow, accompanied as always by Raven. It would take at least two days of travel to reach Holder, so the plan was to leave at noon and stop at one of the other towns along the way. Gilbert had wanted to ask if he was allowed to go with them, unwilling to be separated from his master so soon after they had finally found one another, but could not build up the nerve to interrupt the flow of conversation to ask. He was also afraid of the reaction; would they laugh at him for so much as considering going along with them on a mission? Would they mock him or shun him or treat him like a child and tell him to stay home?

"_In the end, I never asked…"_ he frowned as he shrugged off the suffocating trench coat he had been forced to wear, loosening his cravat and pulling the ribbon out of his hair as he glanced around for his nightwear, finding it resting on the end of his bed.

Stupid… If he didn't assert himself Oz was going to slip away from him. Yes, his master had stated quite clearly that he had no intention of leaving his servant behind, but Gilbert could not help but feel his masters wishes alone were not enough to keep them together. He had to find a way to be of use; in this new world he was not **Raven**'s contractor, an heir to the Nightray household, or a member of Pandora skilled in combat. That was all Raven.

Here, without Oz… Effectively, he was nothing. Raven had been the Gilbert everyone had known growing up, which meant he was a third wheel in every potential aspect of his life. But that didn't bother him, because he never did care about what the rest of the world thought of him. All he cared about was his master, and though he knew it wasn't healthy to base his entire perception of himself and the world around one person, that's what he did. Without Oz, he was not Gilbert. Who was he, except Oz's servant, Oz's friend, Oz's…?

And so no matter how much Raven tried to push him aside, or the other Pandora members taunted or denied him, he would not give up. He could not contract **Raven**, but he could learn to fight, as his elder self had, and in doing so become strong enough to stay by Oz's side. Tomorrow he would-

"Giiiiiil~!"

"Young Master?" Gil exclaimed with surprise, spinning around to face the door, which Oz had opened just enough to peek his head through. Seeing that his servant was still awake he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He was already dressed for bed, so he had obviously come here after originally intending to sleep. Something about that made Gilbert happy. "Is everything alright?"

"Sorry I really didn't get to talk to you this evening," he said with an apologetic smile, moving across the room towards his servant, who was standing by his bed, "It can be hard to get a word in edgewise sometimes. But isn't it a real shame? I was going easy on you today and you didn't even get to enjoy it!"

"Going easy on me?" Gil frowned as he removed his vest and ruffled his hair slightly, picking up his nightshirt and tossing it over his arm as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"Yes!" Oz beamed, stopping a few feet in front of the boy, "Tomorrow, I get to start bullying you again!"

Gil's face dropped, "Ah! Master that's not nice!"

"Whoever said I was nice?" Oz grinned, "You shouldn't listen to rumors~!"

"Still…" Gilbert sighed, though he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say. He slipped his shirt off and tossed it onto his bed to fold once he was finished dressing, pulling his right arm, then his left, into the sleeves of his nightshirt as he thought. Maybe he should ask Oz about the trip now? It would certainly be a lot easier than bringing it up in the morning.

As he raised his head and opened his mouth to speak, however, he caught sight of his master's expression, and paused. The young Vassalius wasn't smiling anymore; in fact, he was frowning heavily, emerald eyes locked on his servant, unblinking. "Master?" Gil asked awkwardly, suddenly uncomfortable with the fact he had been changing in front of the other boy. They'd undressed around each other before, but right now, for some reason, it seemed…

Wait…

With a surprised squeak Gilbert realized what Oz had been staring at, and quickly pulled the material of his nightshirt over the hideous scar on his chest, his fingers struggling to slip the buttons through their respective buttonholes. Just as he was about ready to curse them aloud for not cooperating, a hand appeared to rest on his own, halting his frantic fumbling, and his head shot up to stare at Oz. The blonde's eyes were still set on his chest, however, and Gil blushed furiously when the teen's second hand moved up and pulled the left side of his shirt open. "M-Master!" he squeaked in embarrassment, taking a step back and away from the other teen's touch. His hands fell from his shirt, having failed to button the item at all, and stretched out in front of him as if to keep Oz away. "Wh-what are you-?"

"Your scar…" Oz muttered, frowning as his eyes ran down at the harsh red mark that tore through Gil's paper-pale skin, "It looks… different. I've only ever seen the mark left after it had healed…" He paused for a moment then, contemplative. _And still staring_. His face tinted, Gilbert gripped the two flaps of his shirt closed, concealing the mark, and quietly began to button it up from the bottom. "Is it painful?"

"No," he lied, the sad smile that pulled on his master's lips showing he had failed to fool the blond. He lowered his eyes to his hands, unwilling to see _that_ smile… He was a terrible liar, and Oz was extremely perceptive; he really shouldn't have bothered. In truth his scar sometimes flared with pain if he bumped it too hard, but that was only due to the fact the initial injury had only recently healed. When Oz had shoved him earlier that morning he had only felt a slight twinge. "Sometimes," he confessed, "But it doesn't hurt that badly Master Oz, I promise."

"I see…" Oz took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head. That scar… it was nothing like the one Raven had. His was pale and appeared as a harsh indent on his flesh, but Gil's… It was clear the wound had been deep, and it appeared to have only recently recovered, possibly during his stay in Pandora, skin raised unevenly, a harsh (_painful_) red color. Somehow he had never properly registered how bad the injury must have been to have the mark still be so prominent even now, after ten years.

Probably because Raven was always careful to hide it from him, afraid he would feel guilty if he saw it.

Looking at Gilbert's tense frame and forced gaze, Oz was certain his servant was beating himself up for not thinking to do the same.

Stupid Gil… Now he couldn't even apologize without them _both_ feeling bad…

"Ah, you're so slow!"

"Huh?" Gilbert barely had time to register his master's words before he felt two hands grab his collar and tug hard. He yelped as Oz straightened the material and began to quickly button the boy's shirt from the top down, causing the young servant to blush at the sudden closeness and fumble for his master's hands. "M-Master I can-!"

"Could have fooled me, with how long it was taking you," the taller boy said as he struck Gil's hands away, quickly popping the last button into place and in the same instance bringing his hands up to hold the boys shoulders, looking him right in the eye, "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me 'Oz'?"

"But-"

"Raven does."

"Ah-"

"So you should too!"

"But I-"

"Say iiiiit~!"

"Master you're-!" Gilbert started; he didn't know what was happening, but Master Oz was suddenly far too close. When Gilbert had first arrived at the mansion Oz had played the exact same game in order to scare the boy into saying certain things, or into agreeing to bizarre dares. He would hold Gilbert's shoulders, as was did now, and move his face closer and closer until the boy gave in to his demands, knowing how uncomfortable his servant was about getting so close to him (at one point Gilbert had held out so long their noses had been pressed together). When they had hit their preteens the little game had stopped, both suddenly aware of the implications of such closeness.

Implications Master Oz seemed to have forgotten, or choose to ignore. Or maybe he was using them to scare Gilbert senseless.

"Come on Gil, just call me 'Oz'!" the young noble chuckled. Ah, he'd already teased Raven earlier; he really should have had his fill of his servants embarrassed, blushing face for the day. But no, he couldn't help it. Watching Gilbert stutter and fumble, his eyes darting around the room so that he didn't have to look at his face, his hands twitching awkwardly, not sure if he should try to push his master away or not… It was just like old times! "I'm not leaving until you say it~!"

"B-but why?" Gilbert stuttered. Too close… Too close… Oh, and those stupid hormones were back and making him think he _wanted_ this! He's heart seemed to be beating faster, harder. If Oz didn't move away soon then-

Oz tugged the boy forward suddenly, their faces mere inches apart. "Just 'cause!"

"A-alright!"

Gilbert's blushing face was priceless.

Oz was so close now; he didn't think his servant could possibly get any redder.

"Oz! There! I said it!"

Or could he?

Maybe he could.

Maybe if he was closer.

Maybe if he kissed him he-

...'

"Ma… Oz…?" Gilbert asked awkwardly as his master's beaming smile dropped suddenly. Had he said something wrong? _"Ah, he's so close!"_

Oz blinked. Had he really just thought…?

But… Earlier… With Raven…

Why-?

"Oz, are you in here?"

Gilbert yelped and stumbled backwards as his master forcefully shoved him away, unable to gain any balance until his back and head struck the wall next to his bed. He grunted and rubbed the back of his now aching skull; what happened?

The look in Master Oz's eyes...

_What had just happened?_

"Ah, it's just you Gil~!"

Gil blinked and looked towards his master, who was smiling brightly once again, and then to the doorway where Raven stood, posture tense and eyes darting between his master and Gilbert, narrowing suspiciously at the latter.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sternly, stepping into the room and walking to his master's side without so much as a glance in Gilbert's general direction. He placed a hand on Oz's shoulder and pushed him slightly towards the door, "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. You need your sleep."

"Ah, you're right," Oz nodded, but rather than move towards the door he spun to face the younger of his two servants, "You better get to sleep too, Gil. And make sure you pack yourself something a little more practical than your lovely new dinner-attire!"

"I'm going?" Gilbert found his mouth speaking before his brain. He'd completely forgotten to even ask!

"Of course, stupid!" Oz shook his head as he moved towards the door, followed closely by Raven, "Even if you don't want to."

"Ah…" Gilbert smiled and chuckled softly, "Goodnight then, Master."

The blond paused in the doorway and pointed at him, "'Oz'!"

Gilbert's smile widened and he politely bowed his head, "Young Master."

"Hey…" Oz frowned, but Raven touched his shoulder and nudged him lightly out of the room. "I'll get Alice's help to train you right!" he called from the hallway, earning a hiss from Raven.

"Oz, cut it out, people are sleeping!"

"You're no fun, Gil~!"

"Hey!" Raven whispered, but judging by the sound of loud, quickened footsteps outside the room, Gilbert assumed that Oz had already taken off down the hallway in a rather inconsiderate manner. He pushed himself away from the wall as his elder self sighed and shook his head, the shadows of a smile impossible to miss despite his attempt to look annoyed.

Had he seen them? If so then Gilbert felt he should explain what it was Oz had been doing... Even if the young Nightray didn't think he fully understood what had just happened himself. His face was still warm, but thankfully his heart no longer pounded in his chest. He'd never liked that particular game, he'd never been comfortable getting close to his master, but this time there was something... Different.

He shook his head; no. Nothing had happened. And right now he had to make sure Raven didn't think otherwise; if he was half as possessive as Gilbert thought he was then anyone being close to his master was an issue, which could make it even more difficult to try and build a relationship with the man. For the sake of keeping Oz happy, Gilbert had to find a way to get along with his elder self.

There wasn't anything going on between himself and his master, because there was nothing else that could happen between them. They were both boys, after all, and best friends.

…'

He and Oz were just friends.

…'

He tried to ignore the twist in his heart at that thought.

"Ah, Raven?" he whispered loudly to try and get the man's attention, intending to move towards the door so that he could speak to the man quietly, but paused when he saw Raven step outside the room. Hadn't he heard him? A little loudly, he said, "Rav-"

"Don't." Raven said as he turned to grab the door handle.

"What?"

"I said don't," he said as he pulled the doorway closed somewhat, raising his gaze to meet that of his younger self; he didn't know what the boy wanted to say, and he didn't know why he had been blushing and stumbling across the room when he had opened the door, nor did he know why Oz had put his mask back on (that slight twitch in his smile was always a dead giveaway for those who knew to look for it), but he didn't care. It was bad enough that Oz had snuck out of his room after he'd said 'goodnight' to go and see the brat, he really didn't want to have to deal with the details. Not now. He was far too drained emotionally after the day to deal with it.

"Stop trying," he said simply as he pulled the door closed, shutting his younger self inside before quickly turning on his heel and walking down the hallway. He continued to move, sure he'd seen the boy bolt for the door when he'd noticed Raven was retreating. He did not hear the door open, nor the boys following footsteps, but he didn't slow down. He walked quickly back to his room, trying to outrun them. His feelings…

Outrun his worry that something had happened, or almost happened, between Oz and his younger self before he had opened that door.

Outrun his impulse to grab the brat and shake him, threaten him, hurt him, until he left him and Oz alone of his own accord.

And outrun his desire to go to Oz's room that very moment and confess, before it was too late. Before he didn't even have a chance with him anymore.

His fear of rejection, of losing Oz entirely, kept the latter desire firmly caged.

But as he dressed for bed and tossed his weary body beneath the covers, a voice in his head echoed back to him his worst fears; _"If you don't do something soon,"_ it said and he buried his arm beneath the pillow in order to raise his head to a comfortable position, _"Then maybe you will lose him..."_

_"I won't…"_ he thought to himself, shutting his eyes tightly and gritting his teeth, _"I can't lose him… Not after everything… I won't!"_

**O-O-O**

The night passed slowly for the conflicted Raven, unable to clear his mind and rest despite his exhaustion. He thought of Oz, of the ten years he had waited to see him again, of their relationship, his feelings, and of this new threat, this other version of himself, that already seemed to be pulling his master away.

In the room next to him, Oz lay in bed, his eyes focused on the barely-visible decorated ceiling, wide awake.

Thinking of Gilbert, of Raven, of these new and confusing feelings that had been stirring within him over the past few weeks, and had irratated him more than usual throughout the day. He continued to deny their meaning, despite the fact it was set out so clearly before him merely waiting for acknowledgement.

No... Gilbert was his servant, and his friend, and nothing more. He couldn't be anything more...

And if there were two Gilberts, and he cared about them both... What did that mean?

Sleep came slowly to the young Vasallius heir, and only when he succeeded in convincing himself, at least partially, that what he felt was nothing more than an emotional overload from an eventful day. That his sudden thought to kiss Gilbert was nothing but a random, spontaneous notion, that meant nothing because he had not acted upon it.

For Raven, his worries carried over into nightmares, without monsters or death or injury, but just as frightening and painful. Because in them, he lost the one he loved to someone else.

And he had been powerless to stop it.

**O-O-O**

Gilbert groaned and rubbed his head, blinking blearily as the ceiling swam back into view. What had...?  
He had moved to try and follow Raven when he had closed the door, determined to set the record straight with that man and avoid any unnecessary bad feeling, but then…

His head had suddenly felt light, his vision blurred, and the next thing he knew he was lying on his back on the floor halfway between his bed and the door.

He'd only blacked out for a minute, but the fact it happened at all... With a frown, Gilbert spread his arms out by his side and lay still, waiting until he was sure his legs could support him before thinking to move to his bed, and sighed heavily. Maybe he should have eaten more at dinner...

This wasn't the first time he had blacked out like this, and before he had blamed it entirely on the tests Pandora had put him through. He had no such luxery to do so now, so it must have been the lack of food.

Right?

He slowly raised his right hand off the floor and held it in front of his face, and felt his stomach twist in momentary panic.

Why...

Every time...

Why couldn't he stop shaking?

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	10. Chapter 9

Another chapter with a lot of problems in its creation; another transition piece I'm afraid, but it's setting up for the next chapter and future developments :) (I update my profile weekly with progress on stories, if you're interested ^_^)

Once again, a huge thank you to my lovely reviwers; **Yana5, Genesisuc, kyotoprincess, joannaanimelover, KyoxSakiFan, Emerald Twin Blade, French Toasted Pancake, Kalanikamori, TheWhisperOfWind** and **Winged Gaurdian**! I'm so sorry that this took longer than anticipated to update, but hopefully the eventual story will be worth the wait ^_^

Also, because I've seen different responses from all the reviewers, I'd like to know; **Are you rooting for Gilbert or Raven?**

Alright, I hope you enjoy Chapter 9! (Sorry, I couldn't resist writing pieces with Alice; she's too much fun!)

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 9**

**O-O-O**

Two Gilberts…

When Oz had woken the morning after he had got his younger servant back, part of him was certain it had all been a dream. But memories of the previous day, of their reunion, of the feelings it stirred within him; those were far too powerful to have simply been imagined. And last night…

It was still early; his room was dimly lit with a cold light, the morning sky heavily clouded and a steadily strengthening rainfall beating against his window, half-drawn curtains keeping what little light there was outside from reaching the boys face. He wondered if his friends were awake yet; Alice would not rise until she was called or hungry, Gil, the younger Gil, would certainly still be asleep after the previous day's excitement, but the other-

A soft knock on his door.

With a smile, still lying on his back in bed, he turned his head towards the door. "Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

The young Vassalius chuckled and shook his head; his servant certainly had become an early bird over the years. "Come in Gil~" he said in a lilting tone; he really loved saying Gil's name; it just rolled of his tongue and made him feel warm. '_Gilbert'_ was fine too, but not quite as fluid, which was why he generally saved it for a good scolding. 'Gil' suited his servant better, he thought; it was gentle, like he was.

The door opened slowly and Raven's dark head peeked inside, "Did I wake you?" Oz shook his head, a fleeting smile brushing across the elder man features as he stepped inside, closing the door slowly behind him. He began to speak as he made his way across the room towards the window, "I'm afraid there's been a change of plans."

"Oh?" Oz rolled on his side and raised himself slightly off the mattress, propping his head up with his hand and watching Gilbert pull the curtains open, "How so?"

"We're going to be leaving as soon as possible, since the weather is bad," he said, securing the fabric with a gold-colored rope before turning to face his master, "but we'll have breakfast first; that stupid rabbit would never shut up otherwise."

Oz thought to scold Gilbert for referring to Alice like that, but he quickly realized it was pointless. He didn't really mean it, anyway. With a soft sigh Oz pushed himself into a sitting position, shuddering slightly as his blanket feel to pile on his lap before he slid off the bed and moved towards his wardrobe. "Is it really that much of a problem?" he asked as he pulled out a few items of clothing, glancing back at his servant, "A little rain won't make that big of a difference, will it?"

Raven turned to face the window and folded his arms, giving Oz the privacy his simple glance had asked for. Truthfully, he wasn't bashful about dressing in front of people, but it was better to pretend he was; he didn't want anyone looking at his Death Clock, especially Gil. "The roads will be difficult to travel, meaning there's a higher possibility of the carriage getting damaged and forcing us to walk," Raven explained, as Oz quickly dressed, "If we want to make sure we reach the half-way point by nightfall it's best we leave right away."

"I guess that makes sense," Oz nodded as he tightened his tie a little, reaching up and pulling a heavy coat from the railing and closing his wardrobe, picking up the small bag that contained his clothes for the next few days before turning to face Raven again. He still had his back to him, silent.

Oz couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something different about Gil today. He seemed… Distant. Normally when it was just the two of them his servant would relax, but even the brief smile he had cast Oz as he entered the room appeared strained. Was he still upset about yesterday? About the other Gil? _"Gil is such a drama queen…"_

But though he couldn't understand why the man couldn't simply accept what was happening and trust that Oz was not lying when he said, albeit in a rather round-about way, that he would care for both his servants equally, he _could_ understand the mans concern. He didn't want to be replaced, and Oz didn't want to replace him, but those two sentiments just didn't seem to click in the man's mind no matter what his master said.

He didn't want Gilbert to feel abandoned and alone. He knew all too well how that felt.

So the young Vassalius took a deep breath, plastered a smile on his face and bound across the room to his servant's side, "Hey Gil! Gil!"

Raven tensed with a start – he must not have noticed Oz's approach – and turned his head to look down at the boy by his side, "Yes Oz?" he asked, sounding slightly startled.

"Do you think you could take me to a bookstore in Holder?"

Raven blinked, "Why?"

"Stupid, I want to get a new book of coarse~" Oz said simply, his arm simultaneously wrapping around that of the elder man and tugging him towards the door. Raven stumbled after him for a moment before regaining his balance, but Oz continued to hold on. He wasn't sure why he did, it just… Felt nice. Close. "I've almost caught up on Holy Knight, and I'd like to try something new. But Alice hates that sort of stuff, so I was thinking maybe Gil could stay with her while she eats and we can go find a bookstore." As they reached the door he realized he couldn't open it without letting go of is servant, and found himself doing so reluctantly. "_Stop it."_ What was wrong with him lately?

He shook it off and pulled the door open, beaming back at his servant, "Would that be ok with you?" he asked, resisting the urge to chuckle at the man's expression. Complete and utter confusion. "Gil?"

"S-Sure," Raven answered somewhat awkwardly, before coughing lightly and rolling his shoulders back, regaining his posture, "If that's what you want."

"It is," Oz said simply, watching his servant's hands clench and release awkwardly; honestly, for a full grown man he certainly had a pathetic amount of control over his emotions. Was a little one-on-one with his master all it took to make him feel better? Oz had thought so, but the reaction still surprised him. Humming slightly Oz stepped into the hallway, his coat under one arm, his bag swinging from the other, "Ok then, let's go wake the others!"

**O-O-O**

What did Oz mean by that?

Why did he purposefully ask Raven to go to somewhere with him _without_ the brat and Alice? There were plenty of books in the library. He didn't need more. Why did he want to go get a new one, with just him? Why?

"_I feel queasy_." Curse his weak stomach; whenever he got nervous it always acted up, and it was too early in the morning for this. _"Calm down,"_ he told himself, watching the boy's retreating back, _"You're overreacting. You're just worked up after those stupid dreams. Don't get clingy."_ A bit late for that.

It was probably nothing… Maybe Oz just really, really wanted a new book. Maybe he realized Alice would hate being left alone and thought the brat staying with her would prevent a tantrum. Maybe he only asked Raven to go with him because he knew the man would never let him wander the streets alone. Maybe there was nothing more to it.

But whatever the boy's motive, time alone with Oz was time alone with Oz.

It might be time spent I a dusty old store looking through volumes of fiction he had no interest in, but at least he would be getting something he was denied of so regularly these days; time together with his master, just the two of them…

…'

If he was one of those gushy, love-struck girls he could have used all manor of illogical thinking - twisting Oz's words, reimagining the invitation in a different light – to convince himself that this simple shopping trip was some sort of _date_.

He didn't, of course.

That would be stupid.

And he wasn't _that_ desperate.

…'

Although…

…'

"_Gilbert Nightray,"_ Raven thought, _"You really _are_ pathetic…"_

**O-O-O**

"Well this is a drastic change from yesterday."

"Mmph?" Gilbert frowned and mentally slapped himself for his lack of manners, finishing chewing and swallowing his bacon quickly before attempting to speak again, "Excuse me Young Master?"

Oz chuckled and shook his head, "I didn't know you were even _capable_ of eating that much; where are you putting it all?"

"Ah…" Gilbert looked down at his plate; it was only half-full, with scrambled eggs, toast and half-burnt bacon… But this _was_ his forth helping. He blushed lightly and bowed his head, "Sorry."

Oz waved a hand dismissively in hopes of banished his servants doubts about enjoying his meal, "Don't apologize; I'm just glad you're getting some food in you!"

After Raven had physically dragged Alice out of bed and Oz had succeeded in scaring his younger servant half to death by leaping on his bed and near screaming a bright 'Good Morning!' in his ear, the four quickly set about tossing some clothes in a bag (neither Alice nor Gil had thought to pack) before rushing downstairs for breakfast. Raven had opted for nothing but a cup off coffee, while Alice ate anything and everything put in front of her. Gilbert and Oz had the same meal, but the former of the two kept refilling his plate again and again and again.

"You must be really hungry," Oz grinned, reaching out and picking up his cup of warm, milky tea, "Though I guess you really didn't eat much yesterday."

"Mmm," Gil nodded, self-consciously taking much smaller bites of his meal at a much slower speed. He'd barely taken a breath since they'd arrived at the table that didn't involve shoveling more food in his mouth. But he _was_ hungry, starving even, and last night's black-out had really scared him. He lay on the floor for a good ten minutes before his shuddering body calmed (although shivering still) and he was able to push himself to his feet and stumble towards his bed. He would have gladly fallen asleep the moment he hit the mattress, but he forced himself to finish dressing for bed, then fell dead to the world until Oz had screamed in his ear.

He didn't particularly like randomly collapsing on the floor, so he was going to make sure he kept his energy up.

"Little Seaweed Head has a much healthier appetite than Big Seaweed Head," Alice said through mouthfuls of meat, her tone a mixture of admiration and caution (she was probably afraid the boy would eat food that was meant for her).

Raven gawped, "You call that healthy?! Between the two of you you've eaten enough for-"

"You're just jealous you can't handle it!"

"Don't talk with you mouth full!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Gilbert leaned away from the bickering pair slightly, looking across the table at the young blonde that was grinning at them, "Master Oz shouldn't we..?"

Oz laughed and shook his head, "Nope; just sit back and enjoy the show!"

**O-O-O**

Miss Sharon was there to see them off.

And to inspect Gilbert's clothing.

"Ah, you chose one of the uniforms! How adorable!"

"Um… Thank you…?" Gilbert had muttered awkwardly, pulling lightly on the cuff of his right sleeve and looking at the floor. Miss Sharon made him noticeably uncomfortable, but he tried to be polite as they said their farewells, ignoring the way she beamed in apparent pride when he bowed lightly before departing (an old habit from his days as a servant that he still hadn't dropped). As they'd settled into the carriage and Oz asked him about his choice in clothes – a pale black, sailor-like uniform with white stripes, similar to the type he used to wear while serving the Vassalius household – the young servant merely sighed and muttered that it was the only type of clothing she had provided with him other than trench-coats, silk shirts and velvet jackets.

Oz laughed, Alice began a heated conversation with the boy who seemed to find big sister Sharon just as weird as she did, and Raven pushed down his hat, folded his arms, and tried to sleep some of the trip away.

**O-O-O**

Raven had not been wrong to worry about the weather; though there had been no trouble on the way to Ombra, where they spent the night before setting off the next, equally wet day, approximately three kilometers before Holder the carriage slid in the mud and slipped into a depression at the side of the road. It wasn't damaged, but after Raven and the driver spent an hour in the rain trying to pull it out, Oz, Alice and Gilbert waiting (rather impatiently) in the cold underneath a nearby tree, they accepted it wasn't going anywhere. They were forced to walk, Raven carrying what he could of their repacked clothes in one hand and holding the reigns of one of the driver's horses in the other.

By the time they reached their destination it was dark, and each member of the group was soaked to the bone. Cold, agitated and hungry, the quartet located their inn with some difficulty where Raven, once they had been given their room number, instantly began to fuss over the younger members of the group.

Gilbert briefly wondered if he had really acted similarly when Oz had fallen into the lake a few summers back, embarrassed at the clear comparisons. He and Raven… they fussed over anything concerning their master, didn't they?

"Gil we're _fine_," Oz sighed as Raven re-entered their room with an armful of towels.

"Not until you're out of those wet clothes and have some food in you you're not."

Alice, who was sitting on the bed between Oz and Gilbert, sneezed quietly, causing the Vassalius heir to turn and stare at her with pure adoration; the words 'Alice is so cuuuuuute!' could almost be seen hovering above his head. "I'm cold!" She declared, standing up and quickly beginning to rip off her wet clothes.

Oz's face dropped, "Uh… Alice…"

"M-Miss Alice?!" Gilbert gawped, turning bright red; what on earth was she _doing_? She was in a room full of boys!

Raven quickly pulled a large towel from the pile and gripped the edges, walking towards Alice and wrapping the material around her from behind. The chain squeaked at the unexpected contact and tried to bat him away, but he had already retreated, gathering two more towels and tossing them at Gil and Oz as he spoke. "Try not to get naked around us, alright Stupid Rabbit? Go change in the bathroom or something!"

Gil gawped. Try not to get…? How was he so casual about this?! Unless… Was this another regular occurrence he'd have to get used to?

"Why don't _you_ get out!" Alice snapped, pulling the towel around her shivering form. Gilbert frowned when he saw this; though Miss Alice was a chain, she was still much smaller than anyone else in the group, and her clothes provided the least amount of protection from the elements. She'd never admit it, but she was probably feeling horrid.

When she sneezed again, Gilbert was surprised to see Raven's features soften, and with a labored, overemphasized (and therefore fake) sigh of exasperation, he picked up another, smaller towel and dropped it over her head lightly. "Go get changed Rabbit," he said quietly, "We can't have you getting sick on us."

From beneath the towel Alice scoffed, nudging the material out of eyes and glaring weakly at Raven, "I don't get sick, stupid Seaweed Head…" she muttered as she walked past him towards the bathroom connected to their shared bedroom, Raven quickly following with the dry set of clothes she'd forgotten.

"You're so stupid."

"Shut up!"

Gilbert found himself smiling at the pair; he hadn't really understood it originally, why his master rarely intervened in their little bickers, but after spending only three short days in their company he could see it; Raven and Alice really did care about each other, but both were far too stubborn to admit it (perhaps even to themselves). Arguing was the only way of communicating they seemed to know, and so Oz let them 'talk' without interruption.

Three days… They had passed quickly. And, though he was almost afraid to admit it, they had been fun; Alice was a unique girl, interesting, and though he didn't like how she treated Oz sometimes his master seemed content, so he didn't complain. Raven did enough of that for both of them.

Raven… He hadn't really spoken to Gilbert since they left Reinsworth, but the frigid air between them didn't seem quite so intense now. That was certainly an improvement. Perhaps just being in one another's company, even if the didn't talk, was enough to get them used to each other.

And he hadn't blacked out.

Overall he thought he'd had a pretty good three days.

The young servant took a deep breath, intent on sighing, finding himself yawning instead. Once Alice was out of the room all three males decided to change, backs turned to one another. Gilbert understood why Raven did it, but Master Oz? When had he become self-conscious? He brushed the thought off, and once all four were dressed in their nightwear they drank the warm soup delivered to their room, then seated themselves between two of the four beds. Gilbert and Alice sat on the mattresses, Raven and Oz choosing to sit of the floor with their backs to the beds, and they began to discuss their reason for travelling to the city in the first place; to search for an illegal contractor.

"So do we know anything about the Chain they're using?" Oz asked as he flicked through the document, blinking when he felt a towel fall on his still-damp head. He smiled up as Gilbert began drying his hair, before turning his attention back to Raven, "Break was a bit vague on the details."

"Nothing out of the ordinary, by the sound of it," Raven sighed, closing the folder he was holding, "The victims are primarily back-alley, which is why it took so long to be reported. It seems to stick to secluded areas, the largest group attacked had six people in it, but that was a once off. In general, it seems to attack individuals and groups of two or three. But the chain itself doesn't seem to be any stronger than what we've faced before."

"That's not very helpful…" Oz frowned, subconsciously leaning his head back into his servant's touch while continuing to read the document, "I guess we'll just have to check all the shady parts of the city and hope it thinks we look tasty."

Gilbert frowned as he continued to rub his master's hair dry, "Is that really a good idea, Young Master? It doesn't sound safe…"

"Fear not, Little Seaweed Head!" Alice announced, beating her fist to her chest and smirking proudly, "Nothing is stronger than the great B-Rabbit!"

"We've done this plenty of times before," Raven said simply, "there shouldn't be a problem." Gilbert almost sighed with relief at the lack of a jibe.

"Well, if you say so…" he still wasn't comfortable with the idea; he had only just learned what illegal contractors were, and the thought of his master going anywhere near those people was disquieting. "What should I do?"

"You should probably sit this one out," Raven said, taking the folder from Oz and getting to his feet, "You don't have any experience and you can barely fire a gun; it would better if you stayed here where it was safe."

"… Right…" he hadn't been expecting any different, but it still hurt to be told he was of no use in this particular situation. Even if he couldn't do anything, he'd rather be by his master's side…

Alice frowned and folded her arms, tilting her head, "Why don't we take him? He could always be a meat shield."

"That's a horrible reason to bring someone on a mission!" Raven snapped, smacking the papers on her head and earning a grunt from the chain, "Don't say stupid things."

"What?!" Alice frowned, clearly too tired to threaten Raven for even considering touching her, and pointed at Gilbert, "It's obvious he wants to come. Oz is only good for releasing my power and get's to be there, why not Little Seaweed Head?"

"I feel so unloved…" Oz sighed dramatically. He tilted his head back and stared at his young servant, pouting, "I'm jealous; I think Alice likes you better than me."

"That's not it!" Alice yelled, "I just think it's stupid to leave perfectly good bait behind!"

"B-bait?" Gilbert was starting to like this idea less and less by the second.

"You're right Alice; Gil would make perfect chain-bait!" Oz nodded enthusiastically, "But he's also very clumsy; he'd probably get himself eaten right away."

"Master!" Gil squeaked; so much for expecting the young blonde to make him feel better about his redundancy. He felt a blush creep on his face when he spotted Raven chuckling quietly at his expense, trying to hide it as he made his way to the window to close the curtains._ "They're mocking you too, you know…"_ he thought, but said nothing.

"Well it's true!" Oz continued, his tone serious, "And a half-digested servant would be no good at all! And he would probably smell. So what we have to do is train him up so he can be good bait for the next chain!"

"Hmm…" Alice hummed, twisting her body on the bed and stretching her arms above her as she did so, before falling down to lie on her back, "I suppose that makes sense. Chain-bait training."

"What a lovely goal," Gilbert frowned down at his master, who simply grinned, something the young servant found melted the tension in his chest and caused a smile to spread across his face. He just couldn't stay mad at Oz…

Now if only that twisting, fluttering sensation in his stomach would stop.

"Right, time for bed!" Oz chirped, gripping the towel Gilbert still had pressed to his head and ruffling it through his hair as he got to his feet. He shook his head once he was done and finger-combed his locks back into place as he took a seat on the bed at the opposite side of Gilbert, between both his servants. "Thanks Gil," he said with a smile, which the boy returned warmly. For a moment they simply smiled at one another, perhaps a little too long, and then…

Darkness.

"Gil!"

"Sorry," Raven's voice resounded from where he stood by the now snuffed candle, "I thought you were ready."

Gilbert sighed and lay down on his bed; even as an adult, he was a terrible liar. So he wasn't allowed to even _look_ at his master without Raven getting jealous? Well, at least he'd tried to be subtle about it... After a few minutes of shuffling and the following silence, the dark-haired Nightray sank into his bed and whispered, "Goodnight Master, Miss Alice, Raven."

"Night Gil!"

"Zzzz…"

"… Go to sleep."

Gil actually giggled at his elder self's awkward-toned response.

"I mean it."

The young servant smiled and closed his eyes, "Yes Raven."

**O-O-O**

_What…_

_What was it?_

_B-Rabbit? It was B-Rabbit wasn't it?! B-Rabbit was here, in the city… Oh if he killed her, Will of Abyss would be so please, so very pleased… But she was outside… away from the safety of the shadows, away from the back-alleys and easy pickings._

_But if he killed her, Will of Abyss would be happy._

_So he would leave the shadows and find her._

_And that other thing too… Whatever it was that gave off that familiar scent that mingled with the aroma of the Black Rabbit._

_It was alluring, the desire to find out what it was far too powerful to ignore._

_Tomorrow… Tomorrow… He would find them tomorrow…_

**O-O-O**

"Little Seaweed Head… Are you asleep?"

"Wha…? Miss Alice?"

"No then…"

"Are you alright?"

"Have you been feeling... No… Never mind"

"Miss Alice?"

"Go to sleep."

"But... A… Alright…"

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	11. Chapter 10

**EDIT:** Some scenes have been lengthened, and one little scene with Gilbert and Alice has been added near the end :)

-----

I was in the mood to write more after reading all your lovely reviews ^_^ The next will take far longer though, I have lots of other fanfics to work on too; sorry!

A HUGE thank you to all my reviewers, whose positive feedback encouraged me to sit down and finish this next chapter! **Yana5, Cookie - thief x3, Winged Gaurdian, Roz-chan, kyotoprincess, Emerald Twin Blade, Kalanikamori, Genesisuc, Anshie, Krile,** **Meep Forever** and **mooncat011**, you are all amazing, and your comments mean more than you will ever know! ^_^ And welcome to my new reviewers! I know a longer story is a bit off-putting, so thank you for taking the time to read, and as always, thank you to those who have been there from the start ^_^

Now, before you start reading, I would like to point out that the only shipping in this fanfic involves Oz and the two Gils. You may understand why I had to point that out by the end of this chapter ^_^

I really enjoyed writing this one, even if it was condensed (I have about 20 pages of edited scenes from this story by now; I cut a lot from this chapter). I hope you enjoy Loyalty Chapter 10! And if you feel you have time, please leave any positive or negetive comments in a review :) Thank you!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 10**

**O-O-O**

Raven liked to be mentally prepared for every situation he was about to head into.

Fighting chains, dealing with nobles at social gatherings, merely stepping foot on Reinsworth grounds (AKA Break territory), even cooking dinner; everything that caused him even the slightest irritation of nerves in his life he viewed as a challenge. And before every challenge, he liked to go through some sort of ritual to prepare himself, whether it simply be slicing ingredients, perfecting his attire, or loading a few rounds in case a certain clown tried to sneak up on him.

And so the following morning, Raven set about cleaning his guns. There was something relaxing about taking the weapon apart and cleaning every piece of it inside and out, but the simple task also told him that he could be thrown into another life-or-death situation any moment throughout the day, and that he should be on his guard. Senses heightened, awareness sharpened, he always felt far more prepared as a result. Maybe a little paranoid, but prepared.

Which was why he was so thrown when Oz walked back into the room and demanded they head straight for the bookstore.

"Now?" he asked, surprised, cursing quietly as he dropped a few pieces of his gun on the floor. He shuffled off the bed and quickly gathered them up, glancing over them for damage before quickly dusting them and piecing his weapon back together.

"Well Alice looks pretty comfortable in the dining room, I figured now would be as good a time as any," Oz tilted his head as he watched Raven fire his unloaded gun before holstering is, quickly moving to pick up the second, along with the Pandora files left on the nightstand. _"He's not looking at me_…" He noted. What was the problem now?

The problem was Raven didn't have a ritual for this.

"_Ok, I know it's just a trip to the store,"_ he thought as he finished piecing together his second gun, _"But it's still sudden! Why does he have to be so spontaneous? Always throwing me in the deep end…"_ Still, he wasn't going to say 'no' and risk losing his time with the boy. He would just have to calm his nerves and go with the flow. It was just a shopping trip. Nothing more.

But he still got Oz all to himself for a few hours.

Raven smiled, turning to face his master, who was leaning against the doorframe with a curious expression on his face. "Alright then, if that's what you want to do."

Oz beamed in response to the man's smile, relieved that he wasn't upset that the young noble had scattered his plans to begin searching for the chain during the day (considering the beast only ever appeared after sunset it seemed like a pointless task, but Raven had been insistent). He moved away from the door as Raven approached, quickly sidestepping to let the man exit and shut the door behind him, "Great! I already told Gil we were going out for a while and asked him to stay with Alice, so we can go whenever you're ready."

"I'll just drop these files down to the safe and collect our money," Raven stated, locking the bedroom down and pocketing the key, "Meet you out front?"

"Okay~!" Oz said in his sing-song voice, which caused Raven to smile warmly. They parted ways (the safety deposit area was near the back of the building), and Oz walked briskly towards the reception area with a spring in his step, humming softly. _"It really has been a while since it was just the two of us, doing something that has nothing to do with Pandora or the Abyss,"_ he thought. Just a casual little trip with his servant, without having to worry about keeping an eye on his chain (not that he minded doing so in the least). It put him in a surprisingly good mood.

Time alone with Gil… He was looking forward to it!

**O-O-O**

The contractor didn't want to be here. He was out in the open, the sun was shining brightly despite the day's previous rainfall, people were swarming the streets, shopping, talking, living. He hid in the shadows of the alleyway, watching them. Every one of them could be a meal…

There was a powerful chain nearby, and his contracted beast promised the fulfillment of his wish if it was able to consume it. That was the only reason he had agreed to leave the back alleys. His wish… After all this time…

The creature was a Suit, a physically large but magically weak class of chain, gaining power only through the consummation of human blood on a regular basis. It fought with brute force, an issue when fighting more magically capable creatures, but this also meant that its contractors Clock rotated at a slower rate. As a result, the chain had been haunting the back alleys of Holder for almost twelve months.

The beast was lying about the man's wish, but that didn't matter.

All the mattered was that B-Rabbit was near… And soon he was going to consume her…

**O-O-O**

"Are you going to eat that?"

He had been intending to, but one look at the chains hungry gaze and Gilbert wordlessly slid his plate in her direction, watching with a strange mixture of fascination and disgust as she grabbed the contents with her bare hands and near swallowed it all in one gulp. "You probably shouldn't eat that fast, Miss Alice."

She responded, but her mouth was so full of food all the came out was a muffled, irritated noise. Gilbert sighed and shook his head, "Well if you get sick don't blame me." Another grunt, and she reached out and snatched an apple form the fruit bowl in the centre of the table. How she wasn't the size of a horse when she ate just like one, Gilbert had no idea.

He also couldn't understand how, after everything she had while sitting in the dining room until service stopped at midday (he sat next to her quietly, throwing embarrassed, apologetic looks to other guests offended by her loud eating habits), that she could still be hungry.

"Miss Alice, they're not serving any more food until this evening," he explained simply, keeping his hand firmly latched on the girls shoulder as she tried to stand in order to throttle the innkeeper for cutting off her food source. "You've had plenty to eat, why don't we just go back to the room and wait for the others to come back?"

She frowned and turned her gaze towards the servant, "Well if there's no food here lets go get it somewhere else!"

Gil tried to pretend she hadn't completely ignored the second half of his statement, removing his hand from her shoulder and shaking his head, "Master Oz and Raven told us to stay here." He said, deflating slightly even as the words left his mouth. It wasn't like he didn't understand why he had to stay behind (Alice's determined glare was enough to remind him of that), but why did it have to be _Raven_ who got to spend time with Oz? … It really shouldn't bother him, but it did.

Alice scoffed at his statement and slammed her hands on the table, rising quickly to her feet. "What are you? A worm? Don't let people tell you what to do!"

Gilbert frowned; under normal circumstances, he probably would have scolded Alice for being so hard-headed, but in the short time he'd spent with her he knew verbal assault really didn't work. So no matter how much he wanted to snap at her, he didn't. Instead, he reached a hand out towards her, gripping her sleeve lightly and tugging, trying to coax her back into her seat, "I'm sure they'll be back soon, so just-"

"Tch!" Alice whipped her arm away from Gilbert's grip, placing her hands on her hips, "Well I'm hungry now! You can stay here if you're too scared, but I'm not waiting around just because a manservant and servant's servant told me to."

"Miss Alice!" Gilbert called as she darted for the door, quickly pushing himself to his feet and racing after her. He couldn't let her leave; Oz had asked him to keep an eye on her and make sure she stayed out of trouble, and he wasn't going to disobey that order if he could help it. Unfortunately, the chain was surprisingly quick on her feet despite heeled boots the boy was sure would hinder her, and was out the front door before he had a chance to catch up.

He called her again as he darted into the street, catching sight of her flowing brunette locks to his left and quickly following. She didn't slow down, and she didn't stop, darting down different streets so quickly and randomly the young servant began to worry they wouldn't be able to find their way back to the inn even if he did catch her, "Miss Alice come back! Master Oz said-!"

He was silenced when he collided full-force with the girls back, sending them both stumbling forward, but only the young Nightray slipped past the chain and fell to the floor, letting out a startled exclamation of pain as he landed on the street hard. That was going to leave a mark.

"Ow! Damn it Seaweed Head!" Alice yelled, glaring down at the boy, "Don't you know how to stop?"

Gilbert shook his head and rolled over onto his back, pushing himself into a sitting position, and staring at the chain with barely contained anger, "Y-You stopped too fast!"

Alice brushed aside his comment without concern, tossing her head back and placing her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest in an attempt to look taller, "Well now that you're here," she said, raising her right hand and pointing directly over the Nightray's head, "buy me something."

"Wh-what?" Gilbert blinked, building rage evaporating, replaced with confusion, and glanced behind him to see a number of food stalls lining the side of the street. A few of the merchants eyeing the boy sitting in the middle of the road curiously. Embarrassed, Gil pushed himself off the ground and quickly dusted off his clothes. "Why should I buy you anything?"

"Because my manservant abandoned me with you," Alice explained in a nonchalant tone, "which means you must be his replacement!"

Gilbert frowned, unable to stop himself from feeling slightly irritated by her pompous declarations. "I only serve Master Oz." He said simply, frowning when he noticed the girls eyes flicker with uncertainty briefly, but only for a moment, before she scoffed.

"And Oz serves me, which makes you my property too-"

"Property?!"

She fixed him with a determined gaze, "Yes, property. So be a good manservant and feed me!"

"_She sounds more like an animal or something when she says it like that_…" Gilbert thought, grumbling slightly. She wasn't going to give up was she? Reluctantly he rooted in his pockets, watching the girl's gaze drop to his hands, then raise back to his face, hopefully, like a child expecting to be given some candy or a new toy. The sparkle in her eyes lessened his frustration; alright, so Oz was right. Maybe she could be cute sometimes.

He pulled out the small money-pouch his master had left with him in case of emergencies, frowning slightly as he peeked inside, "Ok, I have a little money so I can buy you something small… but _promise me_ we'll go back after that!"

He never got an answer, because she had already punched the air with a cry of victory and darted for the meat-stand, eyes darting eagerly from the freshly roasted duck to slowly grilling beef. Gil caught sight of the prices and yelped, "Miss Alice I can't afford those!"

From the shadows, the contractor watched Gilbert chase after what he believed was an ordinary young girl. Melted into the air, invisible until summoned, the Suit chortled hungrily.

[That's her… That is B-Rabbit…] His chain gurgled in his ear, [And that boy… I must eat him too…]

**O-O-O**

Well, this was more than a little awkward.

Why did Sharon have to tell him all those stupid stories from her stupid romance novels? Why did she have to spout random nonsense about courting and relationships whenever she got the notion? And why, _why_ did she have to try and give Raven advice on how to treat girls when he took them out somewhere? (Not that he ever did, which displeased the Reinsworth greatly).

It was all coming back to him now, and it was _not_ the time for it!

He tried to hide his burning face in a book he thoughtlessly plucked from one of the bookshelves, making sure to keep his back to Oz as he attempted to clear the images rushing around inside his head. In his mind Raven seemed far more confident, and his master far more bashful and self-conscious. He was reciting every embarrassing, clichéd compliment in existence, and the Oz in his mind was smiling sweetly, shuffling awkwardly, his eyes downcast and a soft blush on his face. _"For goodness sake!"_ he mentally screamed, _"Oz doesn't act like that!"_

It certainly looked cute, though.

"_Stop stop stop!"_ If he didn't stop thinking like this he was going to be a stuttering mess until they got back to the inn, and neither he nor Oz would enjoy the trip. It wasn't a date; he knew that (even if he had to remind himself a few times), but even so it was a chance to try and work on their relationship, get ahead of the Stupid Rabbit and brat. Earn some brownie points.

But _how_ exactly?

"Gil~" Oz's voice hummed from behind him, a smirk evident in his tone, "I really don't think you should be seen reading that."

"Huh?" Raven blinked and actually focused on the words before his face, and found his face burning so red it would put dusk to shame. He _would_ have to pick up a book about sexual positions at a time like this! And Oz saw him with it! He quickly tossed the book back on the shelf and spun around to face his master. "I-I-I-" he started, trying to come up with a decent defense, drawing a blank. He gestured wildly as he spoke, eyes darting in all directions save on the boy in front of him, "I was- It was- I didn't- The clerk- And this.. .This um.. It-"

Oz laughed and shook his head, "I guess we finally found a book that catches your interest!"

"N-No! I wasn't reading it!"

The blonde boy smirked knowingly, "Oh? Then why were you blushing?"

"Because I was-!" Raven froze; dear God had he really been able to tell Oz what he'd be thinking? About _him_? He coughed, as if the words had suddenly become lodged in his throat, "I was thinking of something else."

"_Sure_ you were…"

Raven pressed his hand on his hat and pushed the item down over his burning face, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him. _"Whatever god exists hates me."_

Oz chuckled, but chose not to push the subject. He didn't know what was wrong with his servant, but he had seen the sightless look in his eyes as he stared at the book; he'd been in another world entirely and the young noble knew it. He'd save it for teasing later, but right now he just wanted to get their short time together back on track, so he produced the two books he'd chosen and asked Raven's opinion on them.

Raven said they were both great. Oz reminded him that he was only ever allowed to purchase one book at a time. It was something his uncle had been insistent on, so that the young heir would appreciate at least one of his possessions, rather than being spoiled with every item the world had to offer.

"I really like the sound of both of these books, but I just don't know…" he frowned, looking between. One was a story of knights and princes, magic and mysteries, the exact kind of book he was looking for. But the other was a historical dramatization of the Tragedy of Sabrie, something that had him intrigued to no end. He honestly couldn't choose. Shaking his head he held them out, "Help me Gil, I don't know which to pick!"

Raven smiled at the desperate look in the boy's eyes, and for a moment solemnly wished that picking books was his masters only worry. Though he was still humiliated by being caught with such an embarrassing book, the way Oz quickly dropped the subject relaxed him slightly, and made him refocus. Today, or at least the start of it, was all about him and Oz. He had to stop trying so hard and just do what he could to make sure they had a good time together. "How about you get this one," he said, placing a hand on the fantasy novel in the boy's right hand, while plucking the other from his left and quickly setting it back on the shelf, trying it ignore the way Oz's eyes followed his hands almost sadly, "It's more your style, after all."

"Hmm, I guess so," Oz nodded, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. Raven chuckled and handed him the money for the book, telling the boy he would wait by the front door for him. He nodded in understanding a moved to the counter, his disappointment instantly diminishing when he flicked open the first page of the novel and read the first few lines quickly.

"So what do you want to do now?" the blonde asked a few minutes later, holding the small wrapped book in his arms as they moved down the street, "I'm kind of hungry…"

"Well then, let's go eat," Raven said simply, glancing around for something he thought his master would like, "What are in the mood for?"

Oz quirked an eyebrow, "What? No veggies and meat treatment?"

"Not today," Raven chuckled and smiled warmly at his master, "Today, it's whatever you want."

The young Vassalius didn't quite understand why his servant was suddenly more lax, in demeanor and actions, but neither did he ponder on it. He felt his heart swell and could not prevent a smile spreading across his face, wrapping both arms tightly around his new book as if applying pressure to it would release some of the mounting emotion in his chest. Raven had a really nice smile… He really wished he could see it more often.

They stared, and smiled, and said nothing for a moment.

Oz cleared his throat and broke their gaze, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to relax and ignoring the almost electrical tingle that spread throughout his body as he simply looked in his servants eyes. Grinning cheekily at Raven he asked in an emphasized tone, "Even _cake_?"

Raven, still smiling, chuckled quietly, "Yes Oz, even cake."

**O-O-O**

"Seaweed-head usually bargains for discounts," Alice noted as she tore a chunk off meat from the small drumstick in her hand, glancing over at the young servant by her side, "Not beg."

"You had already started eating before I even got there," Gil frowned, "I was trying to make sure he wouldn't call the authorities on us for theft!"

She frowned, "They wouldn't arrest us over food."

"You'd be surprised," Gil muttered, sighing heavily and rubbing his temples to keep his presently submerged migraine at bay. Thanks to Alice's antics he'd had to hand over all his money and the pouch Oz had given him as well, suffering a scornful glare from the merchant and being forced to resort to pleading for the mans pardon. It worked, eventually, but his nerves were well shaken now. That guy had been big, and meat-merchants always seemed to have some sort of knife in their hands. Never one for handling stress well Gilbert had felt nauseous just standing in front of the man, and even now he was sure hi body was shaking. "_I just want to get back to the inn... I hope Master Oz hasn't got back before us. I don't want to get in trouble…"_ Unfortunately, he was certain they were lost; Alice had promply taken the lead when he had finally convinced the girl he could not get any more food for her ("Take off your shirt and trade that." "No!"), walking confidently, as she did now. But they had been wandering down streets for almost an hour now, and the inn was nowhere in sight. Gil shook his head; Oz would certainly be back by now. _"I wonder what he and Raven are up too… I wish I could have gone with him, it doesn't… feel right when I'm not around him…"_

"Here."

"Huh?" Gilbert blinked when one of the chains drumsticks appeared in front of his face. He reached up and took it from her, but didn't eat it (if she was just asking him to hold it and saw he'd taken a bite out of her food, she would probably clobber him senseless. He cast her a curious glance, but Alice merely continued to walk, munching on the final item of food she had, tossing the bag they'd been packed in on the street. _"Is this… Her way of thanking me?"_

Alice stared purposefully forward, avoiding his eyes, and Gilbert smiled knowingly, then nodded, "Thank you."

"Shut up."

**O-O-O**

"That was probably the _best_ cake I have _ever_ tasted," Oz stated and he licked the leftover icing from his fingers, having completely forgotten his practiced etiquette the moment they had taken a seat outside the small tea-shop and eaten his food with his hands instead of a fork. It somehow tasted better that way, something which made the boy worry he would start doing it more often. If his servant ever let him get away with poor manners… Which, oddly enough, he had this time.

"Do you want to order more?" Raven asked, setting his cup of black coffee down gently, "I'm sure they still have some."

"_Gil!_ I've already had three whole slices and it's only just past noon!" Oz laughed.

"So?"

"_So_, do you want me to get fat?" he shook his head, still smiling, "Thanks Gil, but I think I'm okay." He picked up his napkin and quickly began wiping his hands and mouth, trying to make himself a little more presentable. He really had eaten a lot, and Raven had _let him_. Normally the man was very particular about the boys eating habits, save the odd occassion he allowed him have a little extra dessert without comment. But today was... different. Well, nothing like asking straight out, "So is there a reason you're spoiling me today?"

He expected his servant to respond with a typical denial ('What? I'm not spoiling you.'), or to be struck with the sudden realization and struggle to find a way to justify or compensate for said spoiling. But instead what came out of the man's mouth was, "Because I want to."

"Huh?" Oz blinked.

"Well," he hesitated, as if he'd only just realized the words that had left his mouth, quickly picking up his cup again and staring into his rippling reflection. Not at Oz. "We rarely get time alone like this. I just thought... we may as well enjoy it while we can."

The blonde was silent for a moment, a little taken aback by his friend's honesty, but then smiled softly. Though Oz generally accepted the here and now and did not allow himself to remain connected to any time or place, even he sometimes found himself pining for the old days, the days when it was just himself, his sister, and his servant. Where his biggest worry, save his father, was study and dressing correctly, and his greatest joy nothing more than a simple game of tag or a quiet conversation with his best friend. Midnight escapades, daytime playing, teasing, laughing, even those rare and often awkward embraces performed in order to comfort, to encourage, and sometimes disguised as such when really, it was for no reason at all… It seemed Gilbert missed those days, too.

The Vassalius noble laughed quietly and nodded in response to Raven's statement, "And I've enjoyed it very much." He said, raising his gaze and watching his servant's eyes flicker up to his own curiously, his smile widening when it did. "Thanks Gil." The man coughed awkwardly and took a sip of coffee, and Oz allowed himself to once again indulge in thoughts of how adorable his servant could be.

"We'll have to do this more often," he said as the duo were once again walking down the busy city streets, walking steadily, but certainly not speedily, towards the inn. Fed and with his new book purchased, there were no more excuses to stay away any longer, something which Oz found himself feeling slightly disappointed about. It had been nice, spending this time with his servant, and it had been good for Raven too. The man was always so uptight around everyone, it was nice to see him unwind once in a while. "It was fun!"

Oz glanced sideways and caught Raven smiling down at him, but instead of turning away as he usually did when caught staring the man nodded in agreement, reaching a hand out and placing his palm gently on the boys head, "I'd like that…"

Oz smiled, that fast-becoming-familiar tingle pouring over him.

Raven's smile twitched slightly, a shadow of a smirk, "Just don't think I'll let you eat like that every time."

The blonde's mouth feel open in surprise at the random statement, then quickly settled into a childish frown, "Aww, no fair Gil!"

When Raven laughed, a rare, open, happy laugh, Oz felt something inside him melt.

**O-O-O**

"We can't-"

[If we wait, B-Rabbit will get away.]

"But it's the middle of the day!"

[It doesn't matter, once I consume B-Rabbit's power your wish will be granted.]

"My wish…"

[So follow them…]

".. Alright…"

**O-O-O**

"Miss Alice…"

"You felt that too?"

"What was-?"

"There's a chain nearby… Its contractor is getting ready to release it…" Alice scanned the area quickly, growling when she was unable to pinpoint the source of the disturbance, which felt like no more than a gentle, unnerving ripple. "Come on." She quickened her pace. "We have to find Oz."

Gilbert said nothing, dashing to catch up with the girl, his eyes darting in all directions and his hand raised and hovering between the pair, ready to grab the girl should he sense the slightest hint of danger.

Ten feet to their left, the contractor's face twisted into a maniacal grin.

**O-O-O**

When Oz and Raven returned to the inn they had expected to find the two remaining members of their group in their room, but neither Gilbert nor Alice were anywhere to be found.

"I wonder where they could be," Oz thought aloud as he placed his book on his bed, turning to glance around the room and rubbing his hands together distractedly. Gilbert did have a second key, but the door was still locked when Raven and he had returned, "I hope they didn't go out without us."

"They're probably just in the dining room," Raven said with a shrug as he rooted through his bag for another set of bullets, having already removed his guns and quickly given them his usual paranoid once-over before re-holstering them, "That Rabbit could be rolling on the floor with fatal indigestion and _still_ be eating."

"That's our Alice alright!" Oz laughed, turning around and smiling at his servant, "I guess we should go find them and get down to business, though." He didn't want to, of course; he would much rather have spent the day wandering the streets with his friends and enjoying the simple pleasures of shopping, eating, talking… But he wasn't the type to ignore his responsibilities. He'd already spent an entire morning (and some of the afternoon) relaxing; now it was time to work.

Raven paused for a moment. "Just… one more thing," he said, pulling his hand from his bag and quickly tying it shut again, tossing it under his bed and pocketing the small metal case that contained his bullets. Oz tilted his head as the man paused briefly before turning to face him, walking slowly towards him and reaching a hand into the front of his jacket. "It feels odd giving it to you now, but…" he said as he pulled out an item wrapped in brown paper (Oz vaguely wondered how he had managed to keep it hidden) and held it out to the boy, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Oz, intrigued and almost childishly fascinated by the thought of getting something (a gift?) from his servant, reached out and took it from him. He quirked a suspicious eyebrow at the man, but Raven merely shrugged, so the blond quickly tore the brown paper open, blinking in surprised when the item before him was revealed. "This…" he blinked. It was the second book that he had wanted to buy, the one Gil had quickly shelved when he suggested buying the novel. Oz pulled the item against his chest in surprise, staring up at his servant, "When did-?"

"I paid the clerk stacking the shelves when you went to the counter." Raven smiled, but distractedly pressed his hat down onto his head, "I just thought…" his tone became a little more awkward, his nerves showing for a moment, before he swallowed and suppressed them, "I thought it would be a nice surprise." One last gift to his master before they had to return to the company of the brat and rabbit. The day may not have played out how his fantasies and daydreams would dictate it should have, but… It had been wonderful regardless. He wouldn't give back the last few hours for anything in the world.

Oz, suddenly feeling embarrassed by Raven's thoughtful gesture, lowered his gaze to the book in his hands. He really hadn't suspected a thing, and he couldn't remember the last time that he had been surprised like this. Surprised in a nice way, "Th… Thanks," he breathed, unsure of what else to say. It was just a book, but the man had bought it for him and it just…

He heard Raven chuckle and step forward, just a little too far forward, where they were no longer a comfortable distance apart, and place a hand on his head, ruffling his golden locks lightly. "No…"

"Hmm?" Oz raised his gaze to meet that of his servant, his heart skipping a beat when he caught sight of Raven's smile. His rare and wonderful smile…

Something was happening here… Between them, this was… What was happening…?

"I should be thanking _you_, Oz… For asking me to come with you today," Raven said, his voice suddenly quiet, his hand slowly drifting from the boy's head, sliding downward so that it rested gently on the side of his face, "I really enjoyed it…"

Oz blinked at the tender touch of his servant's hand, restraining a tiny gasp when the mans smile warmed, his eyes softened, his hand continued to hold his face… Without meaning too, the young noble breathed a quiet 'Gil…', his heart suddenly beating faster, harder. He clutched the book in his hands hard, certain his face was burning, staring up into his servants eyes, which remained locked with his own; deep, warm, shimmering with something Oz had never seen before.

What was going on? Why were they just standing here? The way Raven held his face was so… Why had he not let go? Why were they so close?

What was this feeling? Why couldn't he move? Why couldn't he talk?

_What was Raven doing?_

The moment was mercilessly shattered by a sudden wave of horrendously vile energy sweeping throughout the entire room, causing both men to gasp, pull apart, and look around wildly.

"A chain?!" Oz gasped, filled with fear. Gil, Alice, where were they?!

"Damn it! Come on!" Raven grabbed his master's wrist and darted for the door, dragged the stumbling teen behind him.

The chain was so viciously summoned, it must have been holding out for a surprise attack.

The fact that the creature had been summoned in the middle of the day, in a busy area of the city, the opposite of what the files had reported, along with the fact that their comrades where missing and the summoning had taken place a distance from the inn, only strengthened the already powerful sense of dread in their minds.

The second-choice book lay forgotten on the floor.

**O-O-O**

"I should have known you'd be good at running away!"

"Shut up and run!" Gilbert called, gripping Alice's wrist tightly and darting down the street as quickly as possible, his lungs burning with exertion, more-so as he continued to press on further. As much as he hated the idea of narrow, confined alley-ways, a near perfect spot for entrapment, the bustling streets had turned into a stampede the moment the chain had appeared and left him with little other choice.

Behind them they could hear screaming, shouting, crying, gunshots, and that monster's horrible laughter. But it didn't stop to devour those in the street; it sniffed the air then turned, growled, and darted in their direction. It looked strangely like a large, monstrous clown doll that moved along on his hands and knees, chains that hung from it's wrists and feet like snipped puppet strings moving independently, snatching humans as it travelled and tossing them, screaming, directly into it's mouth. "We can't outrun that thing!" Gilbert cried, eyes fixed on the path ahead. If he looked back, he really would lose all hope.

"We have to find Seaweed-Head!" Alice called as they spun around a corner, finding themselves to have done a near full-circle and ended up back near the marketplace, though the previously bustling street was now completely deserted.

"How?! We don't even-!" Gilbert yelled as the building behind them exploded, tossing the pair forward until they landed in the centre of the street, a shower of grit and rubble falling around them. They scrambled quickly to their feet and spun around, faltering when they found themselves without any time to prepare, instantly coming face to face with their pursuer. About twenty feet before them, surrounded by the remains of buildings that just seconds ago had stood strong, the beast crawled slowly forward, its solid face appearing to reshape in order to widen its maniacal grin.

"Black Rabbit…" the Suit gurgled, its laughter high-pitched and ear-splitting, "Oh it's B-Rabbit! B-Rabbit! Oh what a delicious meal you shall be!"

"Ha," Alice laughed, smirking, "I'd like to see you try, filth!"

"Don't provoke it!" Gilbert yelled in disbelief, eyes scanning the area in hopes of finding some sort of weapon to defend them with, cursing himself for not asking Raven for one of his guns before he left.

"I'm going to enjoy eating you, yes I will, yes I will," the Suit chuckled darkly, pressing forward slowly, the pair before it backing away in response. It stopped, and grinned, "Now, lost little children… Come to me!"

Chains suddenly darted in their direction; Alice and Gilbert leapt aside to avoid it, in opposite directions to one another. Alice cursed when she noticed this, but continued to hop backwards out of the constraints reach. "Get far away so it doesn't catch you!" She called, but all attention was on the chain pursuing her.

Gilbert was trying. He was trying desperately. But he had barely begun training for combat before he was taken to the Abyss, and every time he dodged the monsters chains it was by a steadily shrinking margin.

That the chain wrapped around his leg and pulled him to the ground was inevitable.

"Gilbert!" Alice called as the chain cackled wildly, quickly dragging the boy's body mercilessly fast across the ground towards himself. The servant rolled over and scrambled for a surface to hold onto, a weapon, anything! He grabbed at the rubble, the cobbled street, sections of the stalls, but the chain continued to pull.

This couldn't be happening… It couldn't! He couldn't die now!

"Food food food! Delicious food!" the suit laughed, "A starter, a warm up. Let me wash the street with your blood, human!"

Gilbert yelled as the creature raised its arm and pulled his body off the floor, suspending him in the air before its grinning face. The Suit shrieked with laughter, piercing the boy with it's hungry gaze, "Delicious, delicious, will you scream for me?"

Alice dodged the animated links attacking her feet and darted towards the chain, "Stop!"

Gilbert cried out as the chains mouth opened wide.

"Delicious, delicious… And somehow drenched in the scent of Abyss…"

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	12. Chapter 11

I think I've lost the flow for this... But I'm trying to get a weekly update regardless ^_^;

I'd just like to tell you that there were an extra 1000 words added to the previous chapter; I just added in some of the lines I removed and rewrote a few bits to sound better ^_^ Also, don't worry, there are only two chain encounters and the rest of the story should focus on the relationship between Oz and the Gilberts ^_^

Also, the story is going to be split into parts; part one was about establishing characters and Raven's situation, part two will hopefully focus on Gilbert and how his feelings about Oz and Raven, and the final will conclude it all (don't worry; I'll try not to make it too long!). I know it seems like I've been neglecting Gilbert's emotional development, but in truth it's just not as prevelent because Raven is fully aware of his feelings while Gil is still learning about his own. I will need you to care for him for the story to work, so I hope I can pull it off :)

Once again, thank you so much to **Kalanikamori, Lillythemarshmellowqueen, Yana5, KyoxSakiFan, mooncat011, Winged Gaurdian, Emerald Twin Blade** and **WhimsicalShmoo**, who took the time to leave a review on _Loyalty_! I really enjoy reading them and appreciate every one of them! ^_^

Alright, I hope you enjoy Loyalty Chapter 11! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 11**

**O-O-O**

"Gil look!"

Raven had already begun to search for the source of the explosion, following the blondes pointed hand just in time to see a large cloud of dust skim the rooftops in the distance. At least three streets over. "Damn it!"

"Do you think-?" Oz started, but his question was cut off as his servant tugged hard on his hand, pulling him in the direction on the disturbance. They darted between panicking civilians, Raven's gun clenched tightly in his hand, ignoring the horrified stares of those who realized the man and young blonde were darting in the direction of the monster terrorizing the city.

Once Oz gained his footing he was able to keep up with Raven, but just about. His mind began racing; he did not doubt that the chain had been waiting for Alice, consuming B-Rabbit was enough to lure any chain out. Was she alright? Was Gil with her? Why had they left the inn? "Gil, we should release B-Rabbit!"

"Not when we're this far away," Raven called, "we don't know what that might do to your body."

"But they could be in trouble!"

"We're almost there!" The dark-haired Nightray promised as he located an alley leading closer to the scene and darted down it. Two minutes. They could be there in two minutes.

But did they have that long?

In the distance, he heard the chains horrendous laughter, and despite the distance its words rang clear.

"_Delicious, delicious, will you scream for me?"_

The pair pushed forward faster.

**O-O-O**

Alice rarely thought before she acted, and it tended to get her into a number of tight situations; the battle with Grimm, that arm-wrestling match she almost lost, being pulled into Cheshire's world… Raven often scolded her for it, told her she would get herself killed if she didn't control herself. She almost laughed as his agitated voice entered her head now, her feet pounding hard on the floor as she sprinted across the street towards the chain constraining Gilbert; maybe that day was today, because what she was doing couldn't be described as anything but insane.

Her powers were sealed, she was darting for a chain based mostly on physical strength, and she had no strategy. She also didn't know if there was any way to escape if the beast caught her. What she _did_ know was that she didn't want that thing to eat Gilbert, and that was enough to spur the female chain into action.

Taking both herself and the Suit by surprise, Alice used the Chains other hand as a launch and leapt in Gilbert's direction, misjudging the distance between them and falling short, but managing to catch one of the boys flailing arms and swinging him out of the beasts mouth just as it clamp it's teeth shut.

"A-Alice let go!" Gilbert almost screamed when he realized what had happened. She ignored him, focusing instead on landing a powerful kick to the chains teeth when the pair swung back towards them. Being little more than a living doll, and being struck in a rather sensitive area, a crack shot across the surface upon contact with the girl's boot.

But it was not enough to cause any real damage.

With another high-pitched shriek of joy a second link shot up and wrapped around the rabbit Chain's waist, wrenching her away from Gilbert with little effort. The young servant called her name and reached for the girl, catching her hand for a moment before they were completely separated, held mere inches out of reach before the Chain's face. "Is this your contractor, Miss B-Rabbit?" it crowed, dark eyes shifting back and forth between the pair. "He smells _tasty_."

Alice growled and pressed her still-free hands against the chains bound around her body, trying to push them, pull them, force them off of her. They did not budge. "As if!" she yelled in response to the Chain, shooting the young servant a sharp glare, "He's far too weak! He wasn't even worthy enough to serve as my breakfast!"

Gilbert's eyes widened at Alice words; what was she doing? Was she trying talk the Suit out of eating him? He glanced at the chain around his ankle and then at the monster itself; hanging upside down as he was he could barely move, let alone try to attack (not that he thought he would be any use against the beast regardless), but they had to figure out a way to escape! They couldn't die here!

"Oh… Well then…" the Suit whispered quickly, eyes resting on Alice for a moment, before quickly sliding towards Gilbert, "I guess that means more for me!"

"Ah!" Gilbert threw his hands out as he was swung towards the beast's mouth again.

This time no one was there to pull him back. Tossed effortlessly like a scrap of meat, the chain around his ankle disappeared, he cried out, the smell of blood, of the mangled bodies fresh in the beasts stomach, filled his nose. He hadn't time to think, to react, to try to stop what was happening.

The monster's mouth closed around him.

**O-O-O**

"GIL!" Oz shrieked as he saw the boy disappear into the Chains mouth, instantly moving to dash forwards, but held in place when Raven grabbed him by the back of his jacket and pressed his hand on the blonde's forehead. A familiar light-headed feeling swept through his body as **Raven's** seal was removed, but his mind was racing. _"He can't be… He can't be-! He has to be ok!" _"GIL!"

The moment her powers were released Alice, B-Rabbit, wasted no time smashing a large fist into the Suit's ever-grinning face, shattering the majority of its front teeth instantly. The Chain cried out and pulled back, crawling speedily away from the Rabbit, but Alice quickly released her pointed chains and commanded them to wrap about the monsters arms. The beast launched its own chains to entangle with her own, keeping her at a distance.

Raven cursed as he watched; she couldn't attack properly because of the kid. "Be careful Rabbit!" he called.

"Gil is he alright?!" Oz asked, panicked, "We have to get him out of there!"

**O-O-O**

Blood… blood everywhere... Complete darkness. His hands touched things; hands, eyes, mangled faces.

He felt the air growing thinner, he heard scuttling in the distance, hungry chuckles.

Something small, it felt like a doll, suddenly latched on his arm. He cried out in surprise, again in pain when it bit into his arm.

"Yummy yummy! A yummy human!" a tiny voice laughed, and Gilbert's stomach dropped when he heard a multitude of echoing giggles from the surrounding darkness. "Come eat brothers!"

No… no… He had to get away!

**O-O-O**

"Wait here," Raven ordered, slowly releasing the boys shoulders, making sure he wasn't about to collapse, before darting forward. _"Get him out? That's easier said than done Oz!"_ He thought; there was a chance the boy was dead already, but the chain had not chewed him, and it was possible for people to remain alive inside a doll-like chain, if only for a minute or two. They didn't have much time, if any at all. "Don't hit its stomach!" he called to Alice as he pointed his gun directly at the beasts head, firing a shot and striking it directly in the right eye.

"I'm not an idiot like you, Seaweed-Head!" Alice called, taking the beast's momentary blindness as a chance to wrap one of her chains around its left arm. This was hard; she was going to have to figure out a way to tear that Chain apart and get Gilbert out before it dissolved and dragged him into the Abyss with it. She relayed as much to Raven, who cursed again as she dragged the Suit across the street towards her. It tossed its chains out to try and capture the Pandora member, but he dodged, and Alice quickly sliced the extended links in half with her scythe.

**O-O-O**

"Get off me!" Gilbert struck blindly at the creatures latching onto his body, sinking their cracked, pointy teeth into his flesh wherever they landed.

"You're a funny human!" One giggled.

"A very funny human!" Another agreed.

"But very tasty!" a third voice shrieked in his ear, griping onto his hair tightly when the boy cried out and tried to hit it away, "Even if you do smell like Abyss!"

"He does smell like Abyss!" "He does he does he does!" "Have you been to Abyss?" "Come back to Abyss!" "We'll take you to Abyss!"

Warm blood, his own blood, seeped from fresh wounds and mingled with that of the bodies at his feet, causing his invisible tormentors to squeal in delight.

**O-O-O**

"Gil use **Raven**!"

"What?" Raven allowed himself to take his eyes off the battle for a moment to glance back at his master, relieved to see he had remained a safe distance away. Alice was currently trying to restrain the Suit without risking the life of the boy inside it.

Oz pointed at the chain, "**Raven**! You can get him out that way, right?"

Only if he transported himself inside first, but Raven had to admit it was looking like the only available option. If it was even possible. He hadn't used **Raven's** powers in a while, and he had never used it to transport himself _inside_ a living thing… But Oz was looking at him with such desperation, and time was running out fast; he had to try. "Rabbit! Keep that thing still as long as you can!"

"What?"

"I'm going in!" he called, raising his left hand high above himself and shutting his eyes tightly. "**Raven**…" he muttered, "I need your power…"

[Master…] the creature's voice, dark, foreboding and inherently vicious, echoed in his mind. He could almost feel its eyes settled on his back, staring at his heart, its life-force, hungrily.

"Take me inside that chain," he said quickly, "and once I grab the boy inside, teleport us right back here."

[Inside that chain is a void; I will require much of master's energy to do this.]

"Just do it!"

[As you wish.]

There was silence. Dead silence. Long enough for that familiar sense of dread to settle in the Nightray's stomach. And suddenly **Raven's** claws dug through it's contractors body, around his heart, around his mind, and despite his attempts to restrain it, every time, the man let out a cry of pain.

Wrapped in soft-feathered wings, the Chain took its master inside the stomach of the Suit.

**O-O-O**

Gilbert could not hear a thing. He could not see, he could not think, not even about the creatures that had descended upon his writhing form the moment he had collapsed. All he could think of was the pain. The horrendous, murderous pain that had suddenly alighted in his heart. He clutched his blood-stained shirt, he twisted, he cried out. He was dying. He was sure he was dying. It hurt… _It hurt!_

Around him the voices echoed, the creatures pulling away from him.

"Oh?" "Oh?" "Why?" "Why is this?" "Why does this happen?" "Why doesn't he taste-?"

The creatures shrieked in shock as a sudden whirlwind of frigid air, but Gilbert barely registered that the creatures had retreated. The pain no longer flared, but the ache lingered, burning, draining…

Yet something else inside him was reaching out, grasping desperately for something he could not see. He felt hands on his body, then a pair of strong arms wrap around him. A voice, so close yet at the same time far away, was calling him.

That voice… Raven…? It was Raven wasn't it?

Why was he…? How did he…?

And why… He felt… So warm… Raven was warm… He wanted… To be… Closer… It felt…

Raven cursed when the boy failed to respond to his calls; in the darkness he could not see if the body he held, the one that was suddenly clutching to his shirt and pressing its face to his chest, was the boy he was looking for. _"It can't be anyone else_," he argued, conscious of the parasitic creatures that were eyeing them from the shadows. No other human would be alive by now; it had to be the brat. And even if it wasn't, the wave of light-headedness creeping upon him meant that he couldn't stay any longer. He slipped one arm beneath the boy's legs, the other under his back, and called, "**Raven**, let's go!"

Gilbert cried out the moment **Raven's** claws tore energy from its masters body, pressing his face to the man that held him and clutching tighter to his clothes. Trying to get closer.

Closer… Closer…

_He had to be closer…_

**O-O-O**

Oz stood where Raven had left him, fists clenched so tightly he almost drew blood from the palm of his hand with his fingernails. Raven... He had gone _inside_ that thing? Why? Oz hadn't known he would have to do that! Now both of them were in danger, and because he had to open his big mouth and-

"Finish it Rabbit! I've got him!"

He could have collapsed with relief at the sound of his servants voice, the sight of the explosion of black and feathers that erupted no more than twenty feet from where he stood, disappearing to reveal Raven standing with his back to Oz and his younger self in his arms. The blonde noble was snapped out of his surprised state when the man collapsed to his knees, his feet moving before his mind and propelling him across the street towards his servants.

"About time!" B-Rabbit grinned at the command, instantly raising her scythe and narrowing her eyes at her opponent, "This is for trying to eat me, you pathetic excuse for a chain!"

"Are you both alright?" Oz called as his Chain quickly sliced her opponent to pieces with little effort. He almost crashed into Raven with the speed he had been travelling, but managed to redirect himself and stumble to a halt by the man's side. Raven clutched his younger self to his chest, his entirely body quivering with the exertion of using his Chain, his head bowed low as he attempted to collect himself. And Gilbert…

Gilbert's body was relatively unharmed, save a number of bite-marks on his arms and face, but blood covered his shivering form. He was curled into Raven's body, fists clutching the man's shirt and jacket desperately. His eyes were open, if only barely, staring forward but focusing on nothing. They did not even twitch when Oz dropped down next to his servants, staring worriedly at them both.

"Fine," Raven said simply, taking a deep breath and reaching a hand out to gently touch his master's head in order to seal Alice's powers before opening his eyes to look down at the boy in his arms. "Hey, brat, you alright?"

"Gil?" Oz frowned when the young servant failed to respond, reaching up and snapping his fingers before the boy's lifeless eyes. He didn't blink, and Oz felt his stomach twist. What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he reacting? Couldn't he hear them? "Hey… Gil…?"

"What happened?" Alice asked as she trotted over to the group, without so much as a single boastful word about her quick victory. Her eyes scanned the shivering boy Oz was trying to coax with quiet whispering to let go of his savior's jacket, to no avail. Despite the amount of blood on his clothes, she could see that other than a few bite marks and small cuts the boy wasn't badly injured. She couldn't see his hands, though. "Did they bite off some of his fingers or something?"

"Stupid Rabbit," Raven snapped, though half-heartedly, "Of course not…"

"Then what's wrong?"

"I think Raven might have taken some energy from him," Raven muttered, remembering how Gilbert had cried out when he had begun to teleport them out of the Suit. He frowned down at the child in his arms. "That, along with what just happened… He's probably just in shock. And tired." _"Like me,"_ he tagged on in his mind; he really didn't want to hold the kid; right now all he wanted to do was curl up in the middle of the street and sleep…

"Gil, can you hear me?" Oz asked in a gentle voice, reaching a hand out to place over the young boys fists. Shock? Was that all it really was? Or was Raven lying to keep him from panicking.

"I was like that the first time too," the elder man admitted, shuffling slightly. Were they going to have to walk back to the inn now? That had taken a lot more energy than he had originally thought it would, and they still hadn't found the illegal contractor, which meant they were still in danger unless the last battle had finished off their Death-Clock. _And_ if the brat didn't wake up he was going to have to carry him back, too. "He'll be fine after an hour or so."

Oz gave his servant a skeptical look, but with a simple nod he affirmed that he was not lying. Smiling slightly he turned his attention back to the boy in his elder servants arms, squeezing his friends hands slightly, "Well that's good, then." He said, relaxing slightly when Gilbert's eyes drifting closed and he pressed the side of his face against Raven's chest; it was odd behavior, certainly, but at least now he only appeared to be sleeping.

"Hey, don't sleep on me…" Raven grumbled, lifting a hand to prod the boy in the face, gaining nothing but a quiet grunt in response.

"Are you sure he's ok?"

"Laziness won't kill him in the short-term," the dark-haired man said, trying to ignore that twinge of jealousy in his stomach. Wonderful, an entire morning with his master and still the young Vassalius seemed more worried about the brat than Raven… Then again he hadn't been almost digested by a Chain. And he was able to hold a conversation without dozing off. Just about. "I could really use a nap…"

Oz laughed, "We'll have to get back to the inn for that!"

"Did… Did I say that out loud?" Raven asked, his face tingeing red.

"Yup!"

"I'm hungry again." Alice announced.

"You're always hungry, Stupid Rabbit."

Raven's shirt was firmly gripped in Gilbert's hands, but a little not-so-gentle coaxing on Alice's part eventually pulled the two servants apart. Oz chuckled and casually offered to carry the boy to the inn or medical centre himself ("Don't you remember? I used to always have to carry you when to fell and hurt yourself!" "I…" "Gil was always such a klutz~!"). He gripped the boy's wrists and hoisted him onto his back, the blonde noble blinking in surprise when Gil's arms instantly wrapped around his neck gently. Hooking his arms under the boy's legs he decided not to think about it, and once Raven was steady on his feet the group began to walk.

Raven frowned when Oz asked if they should take him to a doctor, "With all the panic they'll be crowded by now. He's not badly injured, and I've got enough at the inn; we'll patch him up there."

"Do you think they'll let us back in like this?" Oz asked, jerking his head towards the tattered, blood-covered boy on his back.

"I'll kick them out of the way."

"Ah, my heroine~! But really, don't do that Alice."

"Why?"

"Stupid Rabbit…"

**O-O-O**

Gilbert did indeed wake up within the hour, and had almost died the second he did.

Not due to the fact his injuries were serious or his energy had not returned as Raven had promised.

No, Gilbert had almost died of _embarrassment_, because when he woke up he was lying in his bed with his master by his side, pressing a warm cloth to him and running it gently over his chest so as not to aggravate his scar, washing the blood from his skin as he had slept.

"M-M-Master?!" he shrieked, instantly grabbing the bed sheet bundled on his stomach and pulling it up over his bare chest, blushing furiously, "Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"

"Hi Gilbert~!" Oz sang, "Don't worry, I'm just cleaning your body and feeling you up at the same time~!"

"MASTER!"

"Haha! Keep it down Gil!" Oz laughed, slipping the clothe back into the bowel of water at his feet and rinsing it once again, "I'm just kidding! And anyway, it's not like I've never seen you naked before; we grew up together after all so don't act so shy!"

NAKED?! Gilbert very quickly slid a hand downward under the sheets and was relieved to find he was still wearing pants. He didn't want to know at this point if they were the same ones he'd put on that morning.

"Why are you…?" he paused in his question, memories of what had happened in the marketplace rushing back to him in an instant. The Chain! "Master what-?"

Oz flicked him in the forehead, earning a grunt of pain from the boy, "Chain's gone, everyone's fine, stop calling me 'Master'."

Gilbert frowned and rubbed his forward, "Good, good, and no."

"Brat," Oz said, but grinned regardless. He squeezed the clothe and reached out to take one of the boys hands, extending his bare arm and placing the clothe on it. Gilbert made to protest, but a sharp squeeze of the wrist from the blonde silenced him. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked as he cleaned the dry blood from the boys forearm. Raven had offered to do this, but Oz had insisted the man needed some food in his stomach before going to sleep for the evening. The innkeeper had had to be offered an extra sum to keep quiet and let the battered quartet enter the building without complaint, but at least they didn't have the hassle of relocating. "You seemed really shaken after we got you out."

"I feel fine…" Gilbert said, surprised to find that he did indeed feel no more than a little drained and irritated by the minor injuries he'd received. And embarrassed that Oz was cleaning his arm. In fact, it was all he could think about as his master explained what had happened to him after the monsters swallowed him (something he really should have been paying attention to, since he couldn't remember a thing after that point). The blondes slow, careful work was so distracting, but oh so relaxing at the same time. He wasn't used to this sort of attention, and though he hated the fact he couldn't stop his face from burning and his heart from pounding, he could not deny that he sort of enjoyed it.

Conversation lightened once Oz was finished cleaning Gilbert up and began helping the boy wrap his injuries, referring instead to the morning spent with Raven, and asking Gilbert how he and Alice had been with each other before the Chain appeared. Oz was shocked to hear the girl hadn't hit Gilbert even once. He almost fell out of his chair when he heard she had given Gilbert some of her food ("Alright Gil, you have _GOT_ to give G- Raven some pointers on dealing with Alice!").

While Oz was flicking though his new fantasy novel, giving his servant a quick synopsis of the apparent plot and what the clerk at the store had told him about it, he suddenly paused, and sighed. "I'm rambling…" he muttered, smiling and shaking his head, but keeping his eyes focused on the book. He heard a quiet, confused noise from Gilbert, and took a deep breath, "What I really want to say is… Sorry, Gilbert. I shouldn't have left you and Alice alone this morning. If G… Raven and I had stayed here, if we'd gone searching for the Chain instead of going on one of my silly trips maybe this wouldn't have happened. I really have to stop-"

Something struck the side of his head lightly, "Shut up."

"Eh?" Oz blinked and looked up to see Raven standing next to him, frowning slightly, his eyes tired, "Gil?"

"He can't hear you anyway."

"What?" he snapped his attention back to his younger servant, his jaw dropping when he saw that his friend was fast asleep, "Wha? That was fast!" Hadn't he been awake just a minute ago?!

Raven covered his mouth as he yawned, shedding his jacket and tossing it over his arm, before reaching down and placing a hand on Oz's head, "That thing would have attacked the Rabbit regardless; we're all alive and well, so there's nothing to worry about," he ruffled Oz's hair and turned, moving towards his bed, "And there was nothing wrong with going out this morning. Life can't all be about Chain's and Pandora business; you have to relax sometimes."

"That's surprising to hear," Oz smiled, "coming from Gil~!"

"Shut up and read your book," Raven said, but smiled back at his master regardless. He tossed his jacket across the foot of his bed and, with a heavy sigh, bent down and rolled onto the mattress, lying on his back and covering his eyes with his right arm. Using **Raven**, the nerves that had attacked him to often that morning, tearing Alice away from the dining room three times before eventually giving up and allowing her to run loose on the innkeeper and his cooks; he really needed a nap before he went out looking for that contractor.

"Hey, Gil?"

"Mmm?" he wasn't sure which 'Gil' Oz was talking to, but he responded anyway.

"Thanks…"

Raven raised his arm to look over at Oz, but the boy had already shifted onto his bed and had his head buried in his book, looking complete absorbed… Except it was upside down. Raven watched silently, a smile tugging on his lips, until the teen blinked and flipped the book over. Being the good servant that he was, Raven restrained the urge to chuckle, instead allowing his eyes to drift closed and his mind to drift over the recent battle and back to that moment, right before the Chain had been summoned and interrupted them.

The look on Oz's face… The look in his eyes… Everything, it was just like his dreams. His dreams of the moment he confessed how he felt. Before he would have felt embarrassed to recall such fantasies, but right then, even if it was for just a moment, they had felt real.

And he had been about to… Raven had _actually_ thought of trying to kiss Oz.

What would have happened? Everything else about the moment had felt so right, why _wouldn't_ it play out as it always did in his dreams? Who's to say that Oz wouldn't have accepted him? Maybe Oz would have stayed, not pushed him away, maybe he would have… _kissed him back?_

Raven rolled over so that his back was to Oz, his face burning brightly. No, he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe the moment had been perfect, but that could have just been him. Oz might not have felt it, that spark, that warmth, that comfortable feeling in silence… It seemed impossible, but he had to be realistic. It was a great start, and the boy didn't seem any less comfortable with him, so now all he had to do was… Keep it up.

He would win; he was not going to lose Oz. His mind filled with blissful memories that replaced fantasy, his heart fluttering when he remembered the boys smiling face, Raven slowly drifted off to sleep.

That evening Raven locked these cherished images away and assumed his second identity; that of Raven, Pandora's hit-man, and left the building without telling the rest of the group. He located the illegal contractor in one of the medical centers, recovering from the injuries Alice had inflicted on his Chain. His Death Clock was at eleven o' clock, the Abyss drawing near. Raven slipped into his hospital room through the window, unseen, pressed a pistol to his head, and put the man out of his misery. He had fled the scene before the nurses had reached the room.

Even now, after he had killed so many, it was still difficult…

No one asked him where he had been when he returned, which was almost worse, because by not asking they admitted to knowing exactly what Raven had been doing.

As the group prepared for bed, he wondered if someone with so much blood on their hands had the right to own such beautiful, delicate memories…

A single beautiful, understanding smile from Oz before the boy snuffed the lantern in their room told him 'yes'.

**O-O-O**

"Gil? Gil hurry up! You've been in there for _ages_!" Oz called, holding his books together in one hand and banging his fist against the bathroom door with the other.

From inside he heard the boys voice call, "J-just a second master!"

He frowned, "Are you… Alright? You haven't got any weird problems with-?"

"NO!"

"Haha~ Alright then!" Oz laughed, grinning from ear to ear at the blush he knew was on his servants face, "But we're going to leave without you! Gil took- … Raven took your stuff down to the carriage already, so hurry up!"

"I-I will! Just go!" Gil's flustered voice responded, "I'll meet you downstairs!"

"You're so weird," Oz sighed but turned and headed towards the door, "Be down in five minutes or else!"

"Right!" Gilbert called once more, listening carefully until he heard the 'click' of the bedroom door closing, before allowing himself to release the breath he had been holding. And with it, a quiet whimper.

"_Why…?"_ he thought, looking down at his legs. He was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the bathroom door, paranoia telling him he could not trust the lock alone to keep his master out. When he had awoken that morning he had felt ill, his entire body shaking, and had quickly rushed to the bathroom in case he needed to throw up. He didn't, but just as he reached for the door handle he was struck by a horribly familiar feeling of light-headedness, and without warning his legs had crumpled beneath him.

He hadn't been able to stand since.

"_It's just from the battle…"_ he told himself, "_It was because of __**Raven**__, that's all…"_

But that didn't explain why, when Oz had been in the middle of talking to him the day before, he had, once again, blacked out.

"_It's __**Raven**_…" he thought, _"It has to be, but what can I do about it?"_

There was no point in panicking. Eating large quantities of food seemed to sort the problem, so he would just have to keep doing that. He could feel his body was calming; he was no longer shivering, and he was certain he could stand now if he tried, but he decided to give it a few more minutes.

"_I have to get stronger…"_ He pressed his palms to the floor and moved so that he was on his hands and knees, paused, and began to push himself to his feet, _"This is no good… If I want to stay with Master Oz, I have to get stronger…"_

"_I'll ask Raven, or even Xerxes Break; I have to train,"_ he stumbled a little as he stood, waited until he was steady, and moved as quickly and carefully as he could out of the rented room and down towards the entrance, where Oz, Alice and Raven were waiting. _"I'm sure this will stop then..."_

Stronger…. He just had to get stronger, and everything would be fine. He would be useful to Oz, he could stay with Oz, and be happy with Oz. That was all he wanted. He didn't want wealth or adventure or fame or glory. He just wanted to stay by his Master's side... It wasn't much to ask… Surely if he worked hard he could have it.

Learn to shoot.

Learn to fight.

Learn to protect.

Become stronger.

It was just that simple.

…

Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

**O-O-O**

She didn't know if it meant anything.

And she didn't see any reason to panic others over something that might be nothing.

But it bothered her.

So she chose to silently observe and see for herself if there were any signs of trouble…

She watched Gilbert as he approached the carriage, apologizing and bowing lowly, getting scolded and struck by Oz, who then laughed and dragged him into the carriage. She watched him talk and laugh and spoke to him normally when he addressed her. She watched him for days; as he asked a reluctant Raven for help with target practice, as he yelled at the Stupid Clown for sneaking up on him, as he showed her how to cook meat and as he spoke and laughed with Oz.

He seemed happy. He seemed healthy.

So why did it still bother her…?

**O-O-O**

"Uh oh…"

"What's wrong Young Master?"

"One of the characters I liked _might_ have just been poisoned…"

Gilbert, sitting next to his master on the sofa, frowned, "Might?"

Oz shook his head, "They didn't really make it clear."

"In your new book?" Raven chuckled, "All your favorite characters seem to die, don't they?"

"He's not dead yet~"

"'Yet' being the important word in that sentence."

"You make it sound like I'm cursed or something!"

"Well then prove me wrong… Read on and let us know if he lives or not."

Oz stuck out his tongue, made Raven promise to buy him a treat if the character lived, and immersed himself once more in the world of fiction.

Gilbert, within minutes, had fallen asleep by his side.

**O-O-O**

**End of Loyalty Part I**

**O-O-O**

See you in part two!


	13. Loyalty Part II

_This part follows a flashback style narrative for Part II, which means that it begins near the end and then goes back to recount the events that happened up until that point_

**O-O-O**

**Loyalty – Part II**

**O-O-O**

"_Hey! Brat! What's wrong with you?!"_

It wasn't supposed to be like this…

"_Come on, this isn't funny… Open your eyes!"_

He had just come to bring Raven back… To fix things…

_Raven's arms slipped beneath his body and gathered him off the street. He felt the man move quickly, away from the noise, from the hustle and bustle and prying eyes of other civilians._

Why did this have to happen?

And of all the people to find out, why did it have to be him?

"_What's going on? Are you sick? Brat, I swear if you die on me…"_

Raven's voice trailed off, coming into focus as Gilbert's mind began to clear, to fade, to become clearer again.

He was fading fast.

And as he did, he had only one concern.

He raised his shivering hand and gripped the man's cravat, tugging hard, the silken material slipping quickly from his hands as the blood on his hands, his own blood, slackened his hold, "Don't…" he whispered hoarsely, his lungs burning, his heart pounding. He couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't stop shivering, he could hardly think straight as the shadows came back to claim him. "Tell… Oz…"

He heard Raven oppose, he felt the man shake him, hold him closer, but he could not respond. The darkness returned, familiar and terrifying, and the entire world went black.

His blood left behind a stain of horrendous, foreboding red.

**O-O-O**

No, this wasn't how it was supposed to be.

He had come to fix everything that had gone wrong. He had come to take Raven home, to help repair the relationship between the man and his precious master. To make Oz happy, so that he wouldn't cry anymore. Happy, even if it was with somebody else.

But instead this had happened…

And now he wondered… Would Raven help him… Or use this as a reason to remove him from Master Oz's side?

"_Please… Please don't tell Oz…"_

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	14. Chapter 12

I managed to fit a lot more into this chapter than I thought I would, so I was able to add scenes I was originally going to leave out; yay! ^_^ Lots of focus on Oz and Gilbert for this one :) (I've been wanting to write Oz's scene for a while now; too bad I still had to cut it down...)

Thank you so much to my reviewers! You're opinion means a lot to me and I appreciate every one of them ^_^

Please enjoy Loyalty Chapter 12!

**Note:** Please remember that everything here happens before the previous piece ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 12**

**O-O-O**

It was a beautiful, crisp morning in early spring. The frozen dew on the grass twinkled like fallen stars in the early sunlight, and a serene peace settled over the entirety of the Reinsworth estate. Already some of the servants were out, caring for the horses, drawing the curtains, preparing the breakfast for the lords and ladies of the manor who would soon arise from their long nights sleep.

One of these particular individuals was already awake, his bedroom windows thrown open and his elbows resting on the sill, taking in the tranquil scenery before him, the cool air, trying to listen to the gentle melody of nature.

No such luck, as Oz's thoughts were completely preoccupied with far more urgent matters.

It had been several weeks since the incident in Holder; having gained no leads on the location of the Baskervilles and no chain sightings within their domain, Oz, Alice, Raven and Gilbert had retired to the Reinsworth estate for a break. At first the young Vessalius had worried he would be bored out of his mind, but it turned out that his servants were as entertaining as ever. He'd occupied all his time with finding the subtle differences between them, fascinated with just how alike yet completely different they were to one another.

Gilbert seemed a little less temperamental than Oz remembered him, but that was probably a result of trying to fit into a world he didn't feel he belonged in; he was as nice as he could be to everyone around him but, in typical Gil fashion, could not restrain himself if riled up enough (something Oz really liked to test the limits of). Raven, one the other hand, had a much shorter fuse, and was far more willing to continue arguing until his victory or a stalemate was announced.

Also, interestingly, though he was self-critical the elder Nightray held a lot more confidence in his abilities than his younger self, who constantly came to the man for advice about his shooting practice until on about the hundredth occasion Raven almost screamed the house down in frustration and sent him to train alone. Gil got yelled at by Alice for almost crying at that, and Raven got yelled at for 'being an idiot', proclaiming them both to be nothing but 'useless seaweed-heads'. Oz had gone with Gilbert to watch him train after that, but his 'constructive criticism' ("Wow, you're really not very good are you?") didn't go down too well. He left quickly before the boy started crying or something, and decided to make it up to him by stealing some cake from the kitchen in the middle of the night and bringing it to him. He accidentally dropped on Gilbert's sleeping head and nearly gave the boy a heart attack, but it's the thought that counts, right?

It was a funny place to be; caught in a sort of limbo between wanting to be the boyish yet mature Oz Vassalius the world had come to know, and the childish brat he had been before being dragged into the Abyss. He had the urge to play pranks and games that he had not thought about for months, and as the cause of these feelings Gilbert was the butt of the vast majority of these jokes. How often he had been forced to take a bath several times a day just to get the flour, mud, cake or tea out of his hair after one of Oz's pranks, the noble had lost count. Gil loosened up a little as a result, complaining, yelling, but just as quickly laughing or, shockingly, tossing the flour back.

Raven didn't escape his pranks either; he'd almost broken his neck when he had been standing on one of the chairs in the kitchen trying to reach something on one of the higher shelves, only to have Oz sneak in a let out a rather convincing meow that had him flailing and panicking until he toppled off the chair to the floor. He'd managed to cover himself and Oz in flour in the process, and once he's stopped blabbering incoherently he glared at the teen, said "Serves you right!", fumed for five minutes, and then offered to wash the blondes clothes ("You're such a pushover Gil~" "H-Hey!").

Oz had even teamed up with a rather reluctant Gilbert and excessively eager Alice to snatch all the man's clothes from the bathroom as he washed and scatter them all over the mansion. Oz had even thought to remove the rest of the man's clothes from his wardrobe, so he had nothing to wear but a towel and an infuriated glare. Gil ruined the fun by leaving the important stuff (his trousers) near the bedroom door, but it was still funny to see Raven walking shirtless around the mansion, blushing brightly, picking up random articles of clothing and apologizing to anyone who saw him.

It had been a very entertaining few weeks, and in that time they all seemed to have grown closer as a group. They still argued, that was only natural, and Raven still kept his conversations with Gilbert as short as possible, but now the four of them were quite content to sit in the same room with one another without any angry or suspicious glares being shot in anyone's direction. They talked and laughed, and Oz could not remember feeling so content. Watching his friends together made him happy.

But he had noticed a change in the air.

Gilbert had started acting strangely. He had been a little shaken up from the Suit attack and become a quiet for a few days afterwards, but once that had passed he seemed relatively normal (beside his weird eating habits, but since he and Gil had never really been allowed to eat with each other when they were younger he assumed that was just part of adolescence). But the other day, when he and Oz had been alone, simply reading in silence, he'd heard the rustling of material and glanced over to see the boy sinking down into the corner of the sofa, the book in his hands held directly in front of his face and far too close to read. Curiosity got the better of him, and he asked the boy what was wrong, to which he simply stuttered a quick 'Nothing master!'.

Just for fun, Oz snuck over then and, with a loud cry, slammed his hands on the arm and back of the sofa by the boys head, causing the boy to cry out in surprise and drop his book.

"M-Master what was that for?!"

"Why is Gil _red_?"

"I-I'm not!"

"Yes you are; are you reading dirty books?"

"No I'm not!"

"Ooooh so you're _thinking_ dirty thou-!"

"I'm not!" The boy almost pouted when Oz had laughed at him, but it quickly turned into an awkward frown and his gaze slid sideways, a gentle tinge of red on his cheeks as he shrunk further into the soft material of the sofa, "Master… Do you think you could… move back a little?"

Oz hadn't realized just how close the two had been, and surprised himself and Gilbert with how quickly he retreated. "You're such a kid!" he'd laughed, when in truth he had felt a little awkward himself. He didn't let himself ponder on the reasons why.

Since then, Gilbert had continued being himself - smiling, arguing, serving – but if he and Oz got too close, though he tried to hide it, the blond could sense something had changed in him. There was an awkwardness between them now that he hadn't felt in a long time, a sense of being pulled against their will, which was something the blonde and his servant had only experienced scare amount of times in the past. Again, Oz tried not to think of the reasons for it.

And then there was Raven…

Ever since he had been out with the man on that day in Holder a few weeks ago, things between them had seemed… Different. Not in a bad way though; in contrast to the awkward air that momentarily arose between Oz and his younger servant, he and Raven seemed to have reached a sort of comfortable understanding. There was a warm, childish sense that there was a pleasant secret between them, even though Oz had no problem recounting what they had done together with anyone who was interested. No problem at all.

… Except… he never mentioned what had happened when they got back to the room.

"_We went back to the hotel and saw that Gil and Alice weren't there, and just as we got to the room we sensed the chain and went looking for them."_

That's what he told everyone… Because he wasn't exactly sure what _had_ happened between them. The way Raven had held his face, looked at him, the way time had just seemed to stop for a moment, it was almost as if…

And then he'd had that dream!

The reason he was up so early.

It was not one of the straight-forward, linier dreams; it leapt back and forth between time randomly, from days in the mansion with Gilbert and Ada, to exploring Lotawidge with his friends and uncle. But it had been a warm dream, bright, white, and happy, a pleasant mixture of memories and fantasy that had carried him through the night.

Until he'd kissed Gilbert.

That had woken him up, but not immediately… In fact, the more he thought about it, the longer it seemed the kiss went on until he realized what was happening and woke up. He didn't even remember _which_ Gil he had kissed, which wouldn't have mattered in the slightest a few weeks ago, but now…

Which Gil had he kissed?

Forget that, _why_ had he kissed him?

"_It's just a dream; nothing to get worked up over, you like girls after all,"_ he thought, bending his body so that he could rest his chin on his folded arms, allowing his eyes to slide closed as a cool morning breeze slipped through his hair, causing him to shiver. _"Though…"_ he opened his eyes and bit his lip, _"I had a dream like this before, didn't I?"_

He had brushed it off then, too. Blamed it on puberty. He had only been thirteen, after all, and the severe lack of female company had caused his mind to substitute his dream girl with… Gilbert…

He'd tried to force the boy into a dress the next day just to try and justify his thoughts with the idea that, if Gilbert was a girl, he'd be a cute girl, and that was the only reason his mind had made him the one the blonde had kissed. He had never seen Gilbert run so fast in his entire life; he was out the door before Oz even had a chance to get near him with the frilly green article of clothing.

Oz chuckled softly as the memory of Gilbert's horrified face entered his mind, feeling his heart warm. Those were the days… Though he still made those cute, funny faces now, even as an adult. Gil and Gil, boy and adult, they were both…

He sighed heavily and buried his head in his arms, "_Seriously… Gilbert, both of them, they're my best friends. I don't need weird, meaningless dreams making things awkward between us or anything."_

'But is it really meaningless?' a voice at the back of his head asked, a voice he quickly smothered, quickly rejected.

"_Yes, it is meaningless, I like girls,"_ he told himself, _"Alice and Sharon and Echo, I think they're all cute and beautiful, and I like them."_

"_I like Gilbert too, both of them. But not like that. What I feel for Gilbert is... different than what I feel for the girls, but it's not… I mean… I'm a boy! And boys like girls! So of course that dream, and the other one, they meant nothing. They're just dreams."_

He placed his cool hands against the sides of his face, frowning when he realized how warm they were. Maybe he was sick or something, because he certainly wasn't blushing.

A soft knock on his door, and one of the maid's voices beyond quietly asked if she could enter, to which he cheerfully replied that she could (He had become used to taking care of himself in the morning, but while a guest at the mansion the maids insisted on at least laying out his clothes and such for the day). She asked him if he was feeling alright as she did so, and he responded with a curious tilt of the head.

"It's just," she said as she laid out his shirt, "Your face is a little red, Master Oz."

"Ah! Is it?" Oz laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Maybe it's the cold air~ Thank you," he nodded as she bowed and moved to bathroom, checking for used towels to replace and such (he guessed, he'd never checked). Oz frowned and patted his face lightly, hoping his cool hands would dull the color there, before moving towards his bed and picking up his shirt, holding it by the shoulders out in front of him. _"The cold… That's all it is…"_

It wasn't because of the dream he'd had last night. It wasn't because, in it, he had kissed his best friend. It wasn't because the mere memory of it made his heart skip a beat, twist and constrict with mixed emotions when he remembered there were two Gilberts now, pounded when he thought of them.

Because Gilbert had nothing to do with it. His heart didn't respond like that, or at least not _because_ of that. It had nothing to do with Gilbert.

It didn't.

It couldn't.

It…

…'

…'

…Did it?

Oz took a deep breath and held the shirt to his chest, holding it for a moment before sighing heavily. This was crazy. He couldn't… He couldn't even bring himself to _think_ it, because Gilbert was like a brother to him, his best friend. He couldn't feel… He just couldn't possibly feel _that way_ about him…

…'

… Could he?

**O-O-O**

Gilbert narrowed his eyes and slipped the last of the smaller pieces of the pistol he had just finished cleaning back into place, then carefully replaced the larger parts until the weapon was whole once again. Two minutes; he was taking far too long to reassemble them. Raven could to it in thirty seconds, and that was when he was taking his time. Even though he had been training for a few months before being pulled into the Abyss he was still paranoid about damaging his gun or putting it back together wrong. Well, he'd get over that eventually.

He'd slept in again this morning, but at least he didn't have to worry about waking anyone while he practiced. He had come to enjoy these sessions, ignoring the intent behind learning to shoot and allowing himself to enjoy the simple pleasure of watching himself improve slowly but steadily. It was a distraction, if nothing else. And goodness knows he needed something to take his mind off his master.

Those feelings had finally forced their way to the fore, and there hadn't even been anything specific to provoke it. A few days ago he had just been sitting in the library with Oz, pretending to read a book the blonde noble had insisted he would enjoy (he didn't) and trying desperately not to nod off. His mind and eyes had begun to wander, over the bookshelves, to the window, the crystal vase he was certain needed a good dusting, the floor that could do with a wash…

He paused in borderline obsessive cleanliness observations when his eyes had landed on his master, all thoughts scattered from his mind by the sudden sharp thump of his heart. He wasn't exactly sure why, but the way his master was then… He just seemed so peaceful. He sat in the armchair with his legs folded beneath him, his body tilted slightly as he rested his side against the arm of the chair, the fingers of one hand gently balancing the book on his legs while the others toyed idly with the few strands of hair that would have otherwise obscured his vision. He wore a soft frown on his face, a look of concentration, and the sunlight that spilled through the window emphasized every physical thing about the boy that Gilbert loved; the beautiful gold of his hair, the deep, lushes green of his eyes, the pale flawlessness of his skin…

To Gilbert, in that moment, Oz was simply beautiful.

Breathtaking.

And as a small, sweet smile tugged on the noble's lips as he read, Gilbert knew.

He had fallen.

Perhaps he had always been falling, for years, from the moment he first set eyes on the Vassalius heir. These feeling he had, so strong, so certain, had been growing for years, and refused to be denied any longer.

The reason that Oz's happiness was all he needed to make him smile. The reason he looked for any excuse to be with him… Why he hid his problems for fear of being taken away from him as a result of them…. The reason Oz was all he cared about, Oz was all he thought about, Oz was all he ever wanted…

Was because he was in love with him.

"_Why…"_ Gilbert thought as he raised his gun in front of him and took aim, _"Why do I have to be in love with him?" _He did not regret his feelings, not at all. Oz was an amazing person, deserving of something far better than Gilbert's adoration, but… It would never work. He was a servant, no matter what the Nightray family claimed, and a boy as well. Regardless of the social complexities attached to that, his master made no secret of his attraction to cute girls.

"_It doesn't matter how I feel,"_ he thought as he pulled the trigger, his shot landing mere millimeters from a perfect bulls-eye, _"Nothing will ever happen between us… And Oz would probably be disgusted if he knew."_ He couldn't bear the thought of his master looking at him that way… As they were now, Oz looked at him with affection, and though it promised nothing of the heart, nothing more than friendship, Gilbert would take it.

He would rather stay by his master's side forever than risk losing him. He would rather stay and watch him marry someone, start a family, and grow old with the wife of his choice than confess his feelings and be forced to leave him. It hurt, it felt unfair, it felt wrong, but Gilbert knew it was the way things had to be.

He scrunched his eyes shut and pulled the trigger again, completely missing his mark and striking the top of the target-board instead. He allowed his arms to drop, clutching the handle of the gun in his hands, willing the hot tears burning in his eyes to retreat.

He wouldn't cry.

He shouldn't cry.

This was life, the way things were.

And if it was for Oz… If it would prevent causing trouble for Oz… If it let him continue to feel these things for Oz, even in silence…

He sniffed and ran a sleeve over his eyes, shaking his head and raising his arms in front of him once again. They were shaking. _"You can't have him,"_ he told himself as he took a deep breath and steadied himself, _"He can never be yours. Stay by his side, and stay loyal to him. That's more than you ever deserved."_

He next shot struck a perfect bulls-eye.

He continued shooting until he ran out of bullets then went to retrieve more, but as he left the target field he was struck by one of his near-daily feelings of queasiness, forcing him to take a seat by the entrance instead.

He groaned as one of his dizzy spells swept over him, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He had been able to hide all of this, he was certain, from the rest of the group. He was a little worried that Break had noticed something, but the one-eyed swordsman had yet to say anything out loud about it. He took that as a good sign.

"_I'll just rest here for a bit and wait for it to pass,"_ he thought, his eyes remaining closed. Just for a minute. He would go back to the mansion to join the others for lunch then.

Without his gun, without his distraction, his sleepy mind filled with nothing but images, fantasies, memories of his master.

Oz, Oz, Oz…

**O-O-O**

"Seaweed-Head? SEAWEED-HEAD?!"

Raven peeked around the corner and spotted Alice storming into his bedroom, frowning when she reappeared mere seconds later but thankfully darted in the opposite direction. Seriously, she wanted him to cook her steak _now_? He had errands to run! Last night Oz had specifically mentioned having a taste for lasagna, and Raven just wasn't satisfied with the quality of ingredients in the kitchen, so he was going to have to go out and purchase fresh ones. He also wanted to get some ingredients for desert, and needed to check if his gun was repaired, drop some of the library's older books off for rebinding, hand in his paperwork to the Pandora Branch…

If he were more comfortable with his noble status he would probably have lumped all of this with someone else. But once a servant, always a servant. And he didn't trust anyone with his food, anyway.

He managed to slip out of the mansion unnoticed by the carnivorous rabbit, but only by leaving through the back entrance and making his way directly to the stables rather than waiting for a carriage by the front door. As he walked he pondered over his shopping list, adding and removing various items as he did so.

"_I'll need beef, onions, pasta… I wondered if Oz would like caramelized pears for dessert? I don't know… Maybe I should just bake cookies again, I know he likes those… What the…?"_ Raven slowed as he eyes caught sight of a familiar young servant-boy in the distance, sitting against the large wooden fence that served as an entrance to the targeting area. What was he doing there? Was he… _sleeping_? _"What an idiot, it's too cold to sleep out here…"_

He very nearly continued along his marked path – a cold would teach the brat not to sleep in weird places – but his conscience prickled his mind and forced him to spin on his heel and go back to wake the boy. "Hey, brat. Wake up." He said blandly as he approached, frowning when he received no response. Gilbert was seated with his back against the fence, his head tilted slightly sideways and his gun, devoid of ammo, resting on the ground by his side in his left hand, his right arm resting lightly across his lap.

He looked ridiculously comfortable, completely knocked out, but Raven could hardly leave him there to get sick. He lowered himself down on one knee in front of the boy and reached up a hand, poking his face lightly, "Hey, wake up." He said a little more sternly, but the only response he received was the sound of the boy's light snoring. That annoyed him. With a curious 'hmm' Raven reached up and poked the Nightray's face with both index fingers. Once. Twice. Three times. Still no response. So he pinched the boy's cheeks between his fingers and pulled as hard as he could.

"Ah!" Gilbert woke with a start with a cry of pain, instantly pulling his head away from the attacking force and knocking his head hard against the fence behind him." Ow… That hurt…" he muttered, clutching the back of his head with both hands and wincing. "Master Oz, why did you…?" he looked up with a sad frown, which instantly melted into a look of surprise upon seeing the elder Nightray kneeling before him, "R-Raven?"

"Don't sleep outside in the cold, brat," he said simply, pushing himself to his feet and turning on his heel to head towards the carriage. Job done; now his conscience was clear, and he could get back to work… Except before he knew it the brat was on his feet and racing after him. _"Ah, I don't have time for this!"_

"Where are you going?" Gilbert asked as he caught up with the man, still rubbing his face with his hands, his gun holstered by his side.

"Shopping," Raven answered without looking back, keeping his pace brisk. How was the kid keeping up? "And I don't have time to help your training; there's too much to do." Every time he was anywhere near the boy he seemed to have a question about one thing or another; when he'd yelled at him the kid had left him alone for a few days, but he'd also received a disapproving look from Oz and a boot to the head from Alice (she definitely had a favorite, Stupid Rabbit…), so he restrained himself from repeating the action. His simple explanation seemed to have done the job; Gilbert had fallen silent… but why was he still following him?

"Do…you need help?"

That made him stop, causing Gilbert to bump into him as a result, "… What?" Raven managed to say as the young Nightray stuttered an apologue, turning slightly to look back at the boy.

Gilbert blinked, as if surprised that the man had even acknowledged him, before quietly saying, "Well you said you have a lot to do… I was wondering if you wanted a hand."

"Why?"

"Just… because," he answered awkwardly, pulling on the cuffs of his sleeves nervously. Really, he wasn't sure what had possessed him to offer… Yes, he wanted to get along with Raven, but the man had made it clear from the start he had no interest in being friends with him. Still, it didn't hurt to try, and despite the man's cold attitude towards him the younger servant just… He couldn't help but like him. Raven sighed and shook his head, and Gilbert smiled sadly, thinking, _"I guess it was stupid to hope-"_

"Just do what I say and don't get lost."

"Huh?" Gilbert blinked, watching Raven's retreating back. Wait... Had he just…?

"If you're coming hurry up brat!" the man called back, pulling his jacket around him and walking quickly towards the stables. Honestly, he didn't really want to take the kid, but while he had been running over the list of errands in his mind he realized he would have to make several trips back and forth from the carriage due to the amount of stuff he had to carry. A second pair of hands would be useful, and he was in too much of a hurry to find someone else. The brat would do. He wasn't a _complete_ nuisance, after all.

Plus it would keep him away from Oz, which was always a plus.

"Faster, brat!"

"Sorry!"

**O-O-O**

"Huh…" Oz tilted his head as he watched the two distant figures near-dashing towards the stables, chuckling quietly when he realized Raven was probably racing the younger boy without mentioning as such. He had seen Raven escaping through the back door and watched him retreating, but the only reason he could identify Gilbert from this distance was because of his height and distinguishing blue uniform (Sharon still refused to let him wear anything but sailor uniforms and party suits). _"I can't believe their walking together; I wonder if they're starting to get along?"_

That would be wonderful, if they could both get along. It would resolve most of the remaining tension in the group and be one less thing for him to worry about, after all.

"Ah Gil…" he sighed and pushed himself off the windowsill, unclenching his fist to reveal a crumpled piece of paper he had been writing on a few minutes previously. He smiled sadly down at it, his eyes drifting over the quickly-scribbled words, before he slowly began to tear it to pieces. "Really, you cause me so much trouble…"

On the page, Oz had tried to understand his feelings.

He tried to describe how he felt for Gilbert, for Raven, for his servant, and had been completely unable to put it into words. He had tried to compare what he felt to his other relationships, with friends, with family, but that hadn't worked either.

Eventually, he wrote a letter. He didn't think once he began, didn't stop no matter how much his mind told him to, he just let the words flow.

In the end, what he feared was true was revealed.

He told Gilbert he was angry with him, angry that he was making him write such a ridiculous letter to him, a letter he would never receive. Was he crazy? If he was that was Gilbert's fault to.

And he must be crazy, because he couldn't stop thinking about a certain useless servant. Every time he closed his eyes, Gilbert was there. Every time they were in the same room, Oz felt something unfamiliar in his chest, in his mind, in his entire body. He tried to ignore it, but it was persistent. And he hated it.

He hated that he could not control these emotions. He hated that he could not understand them. He hated not being able to sleep or think straight, he hated worrying about how his servant saw him. And he hated that this feeling was nothing new, that it had been there for years, but had been buried on that day… The day he buried everything.

He hated that he cared. He hated that he couldn't hide it anymore.

'I hate it…

I hate it…

I hate that I'm in love with you.

And I hate that I hate the idea of _not_ being in love with you.

But most of all, I hate that because I have always loved you, that I cannot love you. Because it is wrong to be in love with two people. But I am. I love you Gilbert. I love you both.'

He could not remember ever, ever being so open in his life.

It was only possible in the privacy of his bedroom, through the guarantee that what he wrote would never be repeated. He wiped away the tears brought forth by the shear strength of emotion in his body, the first to fall in a very long time, and instantly crushed the page the moment he finished writing.

Yes, he was in love with his best friend…

He finally allowed himself to realize that…

But now, because he could not possibly choose between them, between his two servants, between his best friend, he would have to lock those feelings away.

It would not be fair to choose, and as their master, it was Oz's job to protect them.

The shredded page drifted in pieces out the open window, caught in the wind and scattered across the Reinsworth estate.

Back in his room, Oz put on his mask - his practiced, flawless smile - and went downstairs to greet Alice for lunch.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	15. Chapter 13

This was such a difficult chapter! I'm so sorry I didn't get it up on Thursday like I had intended :( I'm also a little bothered that I had to sacrifice Gilbert's development for plot progression, but because there are only two chapters left of Part II the focus will return to him for them.

Anyway! Thank you soooo much to my reviewers once again! **Kalanikamori, kyotoprincess, KyoxSakiFan, Yana5, Gilbert Nightray x3, WhimsicalShmoo, mooncat011, Winged Gaurdian, Emerald Twin Blade** and **Anshie**! You are all amazing and I really appreciate the time you take to leave a review ^_^

I am expecting a certain tone of review for the end of this chapter… I wonder if my prediction will be right? ^_^

Alright then, on to Chapter 13!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 13**

**O-O-O**

Raven was definitely trying to kill him.

Alright, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration… But he was definitely trying to aggravate him. That, or he'd become an insensitive jerk when he'd grown up. There were no other reasons Gilbert could think of for giving a teenager half his size all the shopping bags, right after getting him to carry the majority of the damaged novels to the bookbinders and sending him into Pandora alone to figure out how to submit the man's documents on his own.

The simple fact he _wasn't_ Raven hadn't gone down too well with the receptionist, and Break was certainly no help when he spotted the man and asked for assistance ("I've never met him before in my life~!"). He was just about to go and get Raven when, unexpectedly, Break reappeared and plucked the papers from his hands, announcing that he would pass them on to somebody called Liam to deal with right away. He really hoped this 'Liam' person actually existed, and that he was the person the files were supposed to go to. He also hoped that if Break was being genuine that the man wasn't planning to somehow use his 'kind gesture' against him later.

Raven gave Gilbert an odd look when he came back outside, "Where are they?"

"I handed them in."

"And they actually took them from you?"

Gilbert narrowed his eyes and quietly asked, "If you thought they wouldn't take them why did you send me in the first place?"

"Come on," Raven said, pushing himself away from the wall of the Pandora building and moving swiftly down the street, ignoring the boys accusing glare, "We've got one more stop."

Raven did nothing but choose the products to buy, pay, and hand things to Gilbert to carry back to the carriage. Thankfully that was their final task complete… Gil just hoped his arms wouldn't fall off before they reached their transport.

"_Why do I get the feeling he's just trying to annoy me?"_ he frowned, eyes moving from the single small, brown bag in Raven's hand (when had he bought that?) to his back. He was being oddly dismissive and condescending, yet there was no malice to be found in his eyes when the young servant managed to find them (he wasn't looking at him much). Was he just testing him? Trying to see how long it took for him to snap? Well, Gil wasn't going to let that happen.

It was true things between them were a lot better now, but there were instances where Raven would suddenly grow quiet and become frigid towards him. It was rare, but it upset Gil, because he really liked to be in the man's company. He wasn't exactly sure why, they rarely talked, and when they did the conversation was short and meaningless, but… He couldn't explain it exactly, but he felt at ease around Raven. He wanted them to be friends, for his elder self to treat as if he _wasn't_ nothing more that a thorn in his side, and so he was quite willing to swallow his pride for a day and do as Raven said to help make that wish come true.

Gilbert stopped for a moment and set the heavy bags on the floor, trying to remove the strain from his arms for a moment. _"You're a real case, Gilbert,"_ he thought to himself; always looking for approval and acceptance. Would he ever be happy just to be himself for himself? Probably not.

"Don't stop," Raven called back.

"Sorry," Gilbert sighed, lifting the bags once again and stumbling a few steps to catch up with the elder Nightay. His eyes ran over the stalls they passed as they walked, and he felt his stomach clench for what felt like the fiftieth time since they had arrived in the city. He had offered to help Raven without even thinking about the fact that he had only had a small breakfast and missed lunch, which his new, 'healthy' appetite did not appreciate in the slightest. He was really hungry, his growling stomach thankfully drowned out by the noises throughout the street, but the fact had already been feeling dizzy earlier in the day made him worry a little. The last thing he needed was to get light-headed in front of Raven; the man would never let it go.

Raven pushed back the material of his jacket and slipped his right hand into his pocket, casting a curious glance back at the boy trudging along behind him. He was walking with his head lowered, focusing on holding the heavy bags and keeping himself from trailing off by following the back of his coat. Raven felt his insides twist with guilt; really, he hadn't intended to take things this far. He just wanted to see how long it took the brat to lose his patience and snap at him. He knew his temper had been short (it still was), he wanted to see just how much so.

But the kid hadn't complained once, and Raven had kept piling on the work until he ran out of things to do. Now they were heading back to the carriage, the exhausted boy carrying almost all the food they had purchased, and he _still_ hadn't complained. Why?

Part of him wanted to take the bags from him, another wanted to see the kid snap (if he got results, he wouldn't feel so bad for treating him like this), but they made it all the way back to the carriage without a single word exchanged between them, and when they were finally seated and the driver lashed the horses into motion in order to take them back to the Reinsworth estate, Raven was forced to admit defeat.

"_Damn brat."_

Gilbert sighed heavily and fell back against the cushioned seating of the coach. Thank heavens that was finally over! He could easily go for a nap right now, but if he did Raven would have a reason to be mad at him. Reluctantly, he took a deep breath and shuffled back in the seat, sitting up straight, and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked when his sight was filled entirely with a light brown color, the small bag Raven had been carrying and was now holding directly in front of his face, and the pleasant smell of fresh bread filled his senses.

"Here," Raven said simply, "Your pay."

"My…?" Gilbert tilted his head in question as he took the bag in his hands, but Raven was already helping himself to some kind of bread-like snack. Curiously he looked and found three more of the same treat inside the bag the man had handed him, "What are these?"

Raven finished chewing and swallowed, then said, "Eat it and see."

Growing up with a prankster like Oz had made Gilbert wary of vague statements like that, but he fought his natural instinct to fling the carriage door open and toss the possibly poisonous treats outside. Which wasn't difficult to do, not when his stomach chose that that moment to let him known, rather loudly, that it was running on empty. He blushed brightly and tried to ignore the smirk he saw spread across Raven's face and dug a hand into the bag, quickly taking one of the treats out and biting into it.

He chewed a few times before he suddenly stopped, staring straight forward in shock, and Raven chuckled.

"Like it?" he asked with a smile, taking another bite of his own treat and watching the boys hungry gaze flick between him and the food in his hands. In response to his question Gilbert nodded and quickly took a second bite of the chocolate-filled croissant, a second and a third, finishing the first in a matter of seconds and quickly reaching for the second. Raven shook his head, "Don't eat it too fast idiot, you'll get sick."

"Sorry," Gil said, coughing awkwardly and trying, with considerable effort, to take his time with the second. Once Raven finished his own the boy looked up, embarrassed, and said, "Thank you very much, Raven…"

"Hn," Raven nodded, "Thanks for the help." He folded his arms and allowed himself to sink into his seat, watching the boy eat rather than focus his attention outside or try to sleep as he usually did. He knew the kid would like them; the first time Raven himself had tried the chocolate-flavored treats of the same bakery from which he had just purchased the ones the boy was eating now, he'd thought they were so delicious he'd almost cried. Hungry as he was, the kid couldn't enjoy them to the same extent, but he still seemed to like them, and just watching the kid happily munching on his reward made Raven smile, though he tried to conceal it behind his wide-brimmed hat whenever the boy raised his gaze.

"_You know he's your rival…"_ a voice at the back of his head said. Well, that was certainly true… But lately he just hadn't felt quite so defensive around the kid. From time to time, when he and Oz got close, or her heard someone calling his name only to find they were looking for his younger self, Raven became aggravated and ignored the boy. But in general, his animosity had very little basis and was expressed out of habit more than anything else.

Perhaps it was because he didn't really feel that the boy was a threat anymore. Raven had seen how he was with Oz; they were close, but something between them appeared tense. They were uncomfortable, awkward, uncertain, while Raven and his master appeared to be growing steadily closer. Ever since that day in Holder things felt… easier. At first he was afraid to hope that things between them could possibly be unfurling as he had always hoped they would, but… Everything just seemed easier when he and Oz were together. When they were alone in the dining room after the rest of their colleagues had retired for the night, when they went to the market, just the two of them, when they trained or worked or simply spoke until all hours of the night... It felt right.

Now all Raven had to do was wait…

He didn't know how Oz would react if he decided to take the next step, to actually cross that boundary between friend and something more, and so he hadn't been able to bring himself to simply come out and confess. The moment had to be right, so that Oz would understand that it was okay for them to be together. There had been instances which, looking back, he was certain would have been perfect. But he had been hesitant, unable to summon the courage to act.

Not anymore…

He had already waited for ten years, and with the dangerous lifestyle both he and Oz lived he couldn't afford to wait any longer. The next time, he told himself. The next time it felt right, no matter how awkward, no matter how uncomfortable he was, he was going to act on it. Heck, if the urge struck him in the middle of a crowded room, with all their friends and family watching, he was going to act on it! (At least that's what he'd zealously told himself during one of his mental pep-talks; he doubted he could actually go through with something like that…)

The next time…

A moment that certainly wasn't meant to arrive that day, not when they returned to the mansion and Oz found out he had been ordering the brat around all morning. The kid hadn't intentionally told him; the blond had noticed him rubbing his arms and asked why they were sore, and eventually scared the answer out of the boy with threats of cats and a five-course meal of nothing but green peppers. A little more teasing and he found out that not only had the brat carried the shopping but he'd done most of the other work as well.

Raven got a firm talking too, like a child who had broken an expensive vase or the like, but that had been the extent of his punishment. That, along with the fact Oz seemed more interested in running around teasing his younger servant for the rest of the evening were a clear sign that today was not going to be the day.

"_No problem…"_ Raven thought to himself as he watched Oz laugh as his younger self, running to get away from the blonde and the canteen of water he intended to pour on the boys head, struck the doorframe with his shoulder and crash unceremoniously to the floor. Raven chuckled as Oz darted to Gil's side and promptly poured the ice-cold liquid all over the boy, earning a yelp and a comical amount of failing from him, _"It will happen when it happens."_

Sooner rather than later, if Raven had anything to say about it.

The next time they were really alone… Then he would do it…

**O-O-O**

"Gil? Giiiiiil?" Oz frowned from where he lay on the floor in front of the library fireplace, eyes resting on the young servant lying on the sofa to his left. The book he had been reading was lying open on his chest with his arms resting limply around it, his legs dangling over the arm of the sofa and his eyes closed. "You didn't fall asleep, did you?"

No response was as good as a loud and confident 'Yes Young Master!'

"Lazy," Oz chuckled, pushing himself onto all fours and crawling towards the sleeping teen. He sat himself down on the floor before the boy, his face almost level with Gilbert's in this particular position, and folding his arms on the edge of the sofa, watching his friend sleep. With a soft smile, he reached out and lightly prodded the boy's cheek, "it's only seven o' clock, you know. I should punish you for falling asleep and letting your master get bored~"

Except Oz wasn't really bored at all. He was quite content, happy, in fact, to simply sit and watch the boy sleep. Was that creepy? Watching someone sleep? He certainly wouldn't like to think that someone would watch him snoring and looking a mess. Gil hadn't been sleeping long enough to start drooling on himself yet, which Oz was thankful for. He was much cuter with a clean face.

Oz sighed, allowing his fingers to brush against the boys face gently as he withdrew his hand, the tickling sensation causing Gil's face to twitch uncomfortably, letting out a discontented mumble before stretching a little in his sleep. "You're way too cute to be a boy," Oz whispered quietly, unsurprised when he received no response from his servant.

Five days… It had only been five days since he wrote that letter, and already he found himself drifting down a path he knew he shouldn't. Looking at Gil, at Raven, in ways he shouldn't, not pushing either away when they tried to spend time with him, or sit close to him. And even if he did manage to keep his distance from them and lock down these urges and fantasies, his dreams were something that were out of his control.

In there, he could be with Gilbert. Which Gilbert? It differed from dream to dream, and he blushed to remember one particular dream that suggested he be with both of them. At the same time. Which he was ashamed to find himself feeling was a much better alternative to rejecting both. After he mentally scolded himself for such thoughts, he'd spent the day trying to suppress the images from that particular dream arising when he saw the pair together at the shooting range. Thank heavens neither of them could read his mind… And trusted him so blindly; they really believed that his face was red as a result of the crisp, cold winds.

He tried to stay away… When he started to feel that something may happen between them he often made an excuse to leave, frustrated that he had far less control over his emotions and desires than he originally thought he could.

He had underestimated the difficulty of ignoring his heart once he had decoded the emotions raging inside it.

"_I shouldn't feel like this…"_ he thought as he rested his chin on his folded arms and watched the boy sleeping before him, smiling fondly when Gil shuffled around slightly before releasing a relaxed sigh. Oz allowed his eyes to slide closed,_ "They are both my friends… I care for both of them, and I get the feeling they might… They both might care for me too. More than friends should. But…"_

He wanted to know why…

Why did he love two people? Why couldn't he deal with his emotions? Why couldn't he control and repress these feelings as he had with others. Why couldn't he lie to himself like he always had?

'Because you have always loved Gilbert,' a voice at the back of his head told him. 'As a boy, you loved him. As a man, as Raven, you love him.'

'_If you have felt for someone all your life, how do you pick between their elder and younger self? How can I possibly say that… That I like one more than the other?'_ Oz sighed and buried his face in his arms. It really didn't seem fair… He had to be the only person in the world that had to deal with a problem like this.

"Well Gil," he whispered after a few moments of silence, taking a breath and placing his hands on the edge of the sofa, pushing himself to his feet, "If you're going to just sleep all day I think I'll go talk to Raven. I asked him to make us some chocolate-covered biscuits, you know..."

Idle chat of a confused mind, distancing himself from one Gilbert because he knew that he should, drawing closer to the other because, truthfully, he didn't want to be away from the boy that occupied his thoughts more and more with every failed attempt to ignore him. He gathered his book off the floor and carefully slipped the novel from his servant's chest, pulling out one of the coverings of another chair and placing it carefully over the sleeping boy. "We don't want you getting a cold now, do we?" he said as he did so, smiling despite the fact he knew Gilbert could neither hear nor see him. "Though with all the sleep you get I doubt you _could_ get sick."

"Mmm…"

Oz snapped his hand away from the covers instantly, dropping them across the boy's shoulders. Was he waking up? No; he merely shuffled and stretched awkwardly on the sofa before settling down again, sighing heavily, contentedly, as he did so. Oz smiled warmly and reached forward, brushing away a few stray strands of the boy's hair and exposing the smooth, pale skin of his face. "Sleep tight, Gilbert…" he whispered.

He resisted the sudden urge to stroke the boy's head, to sit down next to him and just watch him, take him in, press his lips against his forehead…

Beneath the shaky, insecure lock in his mind and heart he placed his worries, his desires, and his thoughts. He debated whether or not he should go see Raven… As he was now, it would probably be best if he stayed away from Gil. Either Gil. It would be better. It would make things easier.

So he went back to his room, intent on finishing his book, on getting an early night's sleep, on finding Alice and spending the evening with her.

He read for five minutes, then dropped his book on the nightstand and went to the kitchen.

Because regardless of what was best, what he really wanted was to spend time with Gilbert.

**O-O-O**

"Xerxes, I don't have _time_ for this!"

"Aww, but you always have time for me~!" Break said in a sing-song voice, his arms falling to hang over Liam's shoulders from behind, his chin coming to rest on the top of the mans head, "We're friend aren't we?"

"Only when you need something…" Liam grumbled, pushing his glasses back into place after they had been knocked by Break's movements, trying to focus on the documents on the desk in front of him rather than the man leaning on him, "And no, I'm not doing the inventory check for you. It's your turn."

Break pouted, "But Mr. Liam, it's just so _dull_. I'd much rather be drinking tea than counting stuffy old boxes."

"Tough."

"You're so cruel~" he sighed, but his sing-song tone had returned, his hands reaching out and shuffling the mans papers as he tried to write on them, earning and exclamation of aggravation when Liam accidentally drew a thick black line right through his otherwise pristine form. With a chuckle Break jumped back a step to avoid flailing arms, sidestepping slightly to walk around to the front of the mans desk, "Fine, fine, since you're being such a _child_ about it-"

"Who's the child?"

"-then I shall brave the armory alone," Break sighed dramatically and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead, "And it will take _so long_ too, I'll never get those Sabrie reports completed and-"

"You're not finished? Those are due in an _hour_!" Liam cried out, looking positively horrified, "Duke Nightray will be furious if you don't have them complete!"

"Oh," Break pressed a finger to his chin and looked up thoughtfully, "So you're saying I should have started them by now? … Oh Mr. Liam, don't choke on your own tongue, it's such an embarrassing way to go~"

Unable to come up with a coherent response, Liam slammed his hands down on the desk and got to his feet, demanding to know where the documents were and gathering a few pens and essentials as he did. "You're hopeless!" he yelled once Break had informed him the papers were in his assignment box, where the kind secretary had placed them three weeks ago.

"Yes yes," Break said with a dismissive wave of his hand as his colleague strode across the room to the door, "Make sure you use lots of big words now; I'm looking for a promotion~"

"Forget it!"

"Ah, and Liam?" Break called in the sweetest tone he could, "Where did you put those documents I asked for?"

"In my desk, top drawer, don't touch anything else!"

Break helped himself to the small packet of snacks in the mans drawer, fiddled though his papers, tossed some of the floor, then took a seat and crossed his legs so that his ankles were resting on the desk. He kicked those irritating paperweights to the floor first, though. They obscured his view of… of… Well, they were ugly.

He rested the documents he had requested on his lap, chewing idly on a half-eaten cookie as he picked up the first and began to flick through it. Raven's medical file; all Pandora members were required to have one, and it recorded the individuals past illnesses and operations, as well as any allergies and physical weaknesses that may have. He cast a liquid ruby eye over the page quickly, and in doing so he confirmed what he was already certain of. Raven was completely healthy; other than a number of bugs he had caught and had to be prescribed medication for and a few physical injuries acquired during missions, he had never really been sick. Good news, in most situations.

But part of Break had been hoping to find something wrong with him.

He folded the document and tossed it carelessly on the table before opening the second, one that he had read numerous times already, but felt the need to scan for new evidence; the interviews, statements, physical analysis and biography that was written up about the younger Gilbert when he had first arrived from the Abyss.

Maybe there would be some sort of clue among them…

The amount of times that boy fell asleep or became weak during the day was not natural. He seemed to think no one had noticed, but Break had accidentally spotted the boy excusing himself from dinner and leaving the dining room as quickly and quietly as possible. Break had just returned from a day at Pandora and had intended to leap out and frighten him, but the worried look on the child's face held him back.

He followed him, and watched as he gripped the door handle leading to his bedroom, but collapsed to his knees before he could enter. Gilbert had cursed quietly under his breath and refused to let go of the handle, fingers fumbling, wrist twisting weakly as he tried and failed to open the door. It took only a minute for the weakness to pass, and then the young Nightray had pulled himself to his feet (with great effort) and stumbled into his room, closing the door quickly behind him.

After a week, and after catching the boy in a similar state on two different occasions (that he knew of), Break decided he had to look into it.

Break turned a few pages of the file and skimmed the records of the boy's interviews. What he saw, what he felt, what he thought, who he was… None of it helped Break's investigation.

"He's a special case, Xerxes," Liam had said when Break had asked his opinion on the matter, "and other than what you and Master Oz have said about the Abyss, there is nothing we have to base your theory on. You might get a little help from the Chain or magic departments, but…"

Liam, the only person who currently knew about his investigation, suggested he confront the boy directly and that he could learn a lot more if he fully understood what the child was going through. He insisted Gilbert must be afraid, that he would appreciate the help and that he would cooperate with Break to find out what, if anything, was going on.

Break had laughed and said there was no point in scaring the boy when it could be nothing. Liam glowered at him, growled his name disapprovingly, but said nothing to anyone and went to retrieve the files the red-eyed man wanted.

No, Break did not want to ask Gilbert, because he wanted to research his own theory on the matter first. A theory he would prefer not to mention aloud to Gilbert, to Oz, to anyone.

The picture from the front page of the document slipped out and fell towards the floor, but Break swiftly reached out and snatched the item midair. He turned the photograph of Gilbert over and stared at the young boy's face. Sad, uncertain, scared though he tried to appear indifferent. Then he remembered seeing the boy in the mansion, laughing, arguing, smiling… Then collapsing in the lonely corridor, hiding his problems, and still smiling. So deluded, but so happy.

Break frowned.

He really hoped his theory fell through.

**O-O-O**

"Oz get your hands out of there!"

"Mmph?" Oz blinked in Raven's direction as he licked his fingers clean, the bowl of warm, liquefied chocolate in his left arm pressed against him and warming his stomach as the delicious treat did likewise to his insides as it slipped down his throat. His eyes darted down to the bowl, then back to Raven, before he shot the man a cheeky grin.

Raven sighed and shook his head, "Well, we can't use that now…"

Oz frowned, "I'm not diseased, you know. And I washed my hands."

"Between dunks?" Raven quirked an eyebrow as Oz slid his finger along the base of the bowl for about the forth time since they started speaking and licked the collected chocolate from it. He smiled when Oz looked down at his hand, is if he suddenly realized what he was doing, and muttered a childish 'oops'. "Besides, would you like it if I gave you treats that someone had effectively spat into first?"

"I guess you have a point," Oz said and laughed, placing the bowl down for a moment as he pulled himself to sit on the end of the table Raven was working on with his legs dangling beneath him, pulling the bowl on his lap and beaming brightly when he had, "Does that mean I can have the rest of this then~?"

"If you want, but you might get sick if you eat all that."

"You have no faith me," Oz said as he swirled his finger in the mixture, raising his hand slowly and watching the trail of liquid that fell from his finger to the bowl, "my chocolate-eating abilities are unrivaled!"

"What a skill," Raven said was false amazement, rolling his eyes as he set about making a second bowl of chocolate. "Maybe you should ask for a medal."

"They can keep the medal, just give me more chocolate~" Oz laughed, accidently slipping the majority of his hand into the sugary liquid and smearing it all over his palm. With a shrug he simply lifted the appendage slowly to his face and lapped up the warm treat quickly before it could drip onto his lap. It meant he was getting droplets of chocolate all over his face, but he would get that later. It tasted soooo good! Gil really had a talent for making treats, something the sugar-loving teen liked to put to great use.

"So where is everybody?" Raven asked as he mixed the new bowl of chocolate, moving to the tray settled on the table a few feet from Oz and pouring the liquid over the freshly-baked biscuits he'd made.

"Oh, well, Break is at Pandora, and Sharon wanted to talk to Alice about something that was 'of no concern' to me since I'm a boy. Gil's asleep in the library."

"The library?"

"Yup!"

"That kid sure sleeps a lot."

"Well he is eating a lot more; I heard people get drowsy when they eat a lot."

"That's not really how it works…. So… It's just the two of us, then?

"It seems so~"

"I see…"

This was nice… No crazy heartbeats, no awkward feelings or thoughts, and Raven was letting him gorge on delicious melted chocolate; it seemed he'd made the right decision to come down here.

After a few minutes a chuckle from said servant paused Oz in his feasting. "You do realize you've made a complete mess of your face, don't you?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Oz crossed his eyes to see a spot of chocolate on the end of his noses, reaching up and wiping it away with his index finger before place it in his mouth. "No worries, I'll get it." He blinked when he felt Raven's hand slide gently across his jaw, the unexpected touch sending a sudden shock through his system, and allowed the man to tilt his face upwards so that they were looking directly at one another. Raven was smiling, and Oz cursed the magical spell that alone cast upon him.

So much for no 'awkward feelings'…

"Most teenagers can keep their food in their mouth," Raven chuckled, raising a dampened cloth and pressing it lightly against Oz's face, cleaning away the excess chocolate the boy had somehow managed to smear across his skin, "You're such a kid."

"Am not. And that's a waste of chocolate," Oz said simply, trying desperately to color his words with arrogance and confidence, but they came out much weaker and quieter than he'd thought. His gaze remained locked on Raven's face, watching the man's eyes travel over his skin, feeling his fingers against his jaw, the cloth carefully caressing his skin, slowly wiping melted chocolate from his cheeks, his nose, his mouth…

Oz could feel a warm tendril twisting in his stomach as Raven worked (_"Why am I letting him do this?"_), seemingly ignorant of just how close he had tilted his face to Oz's in order to make sure he got every last bit of chocolate. They were mere inches apart… Neither seemed willing to voice the simple fact that the Vassalius noble was too old to let someone clean his face, or that Oz could (in fact should) back away at any moment, or that Raven's movements should not be so careful, so slow, so… intentional.

"_What are we… doing?"_ Oz wondered vaguely.

The answer came when Raven finished and raised his gaze to meet that of his master.

The spark. The attraction. The desire.

In both their eyes.

Raven's left hand still held the boy's face gently, his right lowering slowly to place the cloth on the table by Oz's side, staying there, providing support. His eyes became half-lidded, his smile never wavering, but expressing feelings Oz dared not believe were there. The blonde's hands clenched the edges of the bowl he was still holding hard, his breath suddenly becoming hot, shaky. "Gil…?"

"Oz…" Raven whispered simply.

His tone, his eyes, his gentle hold, _the way he said his name_… it all made Oz quiver.

"_We shouldn't…"_

But they were…

Raven's eyes remained on him. His breath washed over Oz's mouth as he leaned closer, causing the boy's heart to skip a beat, to pound, to race. Was he going to…? We're they really going to…? They were…

"_I shouldn't…"_

Senselessly, intuitively, Oz allowed his eyes to slide closed, his mouth opening partially, his head tilting upward. Towards Raven. Towards…

He wanted… He _wanted_… So badly…

Gil... Gilbert… Gil…

So Close… His lips were…

They brushed lightly against his own, not truly touching, just testing. Electricity shot up his spine, his body shuddered. Raven's fingers tightened on his jaw.

A single word ghosted over his face, laced with emotion, with devotion. "_Oz_…" Raven's eyes finally closed…

A twist in his heart.

And then…

Oz pulled away.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	16. Chapter 14

Yes it was a horrible cliffhanger ^_^ So here's the next part!

I've been dreading writing this chapter for a long time; inside my mind I know every detail of what Oz and the others are feeling, but I just can't figure out how to put it into words. The one advantage of my writing style is I write characters thoughts as I think they form, incomplete and conflicting, but I still don't think I can fully capture what I want to in it… I guess it just means I have a lot of growing to do as a writer ^_^ So feel free to be critical!

Anyway, thank you all for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy chapter 14!

(Also, I'm taking a little break to re-plan Part III, so the next part may take a while to come out. Sorry!)

**EDIT:** Sorry, the end was not supposed to say 'End of Part II'. I was originally goning to continue on until I reached the end but when it broke 7000 words I stopped and forgot to change it to 'To Be Continued' ^_^; I've already crushed two chapters into this one, I really don't think it would be good to force in a third. So one more part before Part III!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 14**

**O-O-O**

Oz's hand pressed against Raven's chest, his gentle touch as effective as solid shackles, holding the man a hairs-breadth from him. He watched Raven's golden eyes flutter open, confused, widening slightly when they met his own emerald orbs.

They were so close that his eyes, filled with fear, were all Oz could see.

"Gil I…" he whispered breathlessly, his fingers clenching the material of the man's shirt. Oh how he wanted to pull, to press his lips against Raven's, to toss aside his inhibitions and become lost in the fantasy presented before him…

But this… Wasn't right…

Whatever Raven felt… He could tell, just by the way he had breathed his name, the way he held his face, the way he looked at him… Raven's feelings were for him and him alone.

But Oz… was in love with somebody else…

He loved Raven, he loved him _so much_, but he also loved someone else. They were both Gil, but… They weren't the same person…

It was wrong. He could not accept the heart of someone he was not completely willing to give his entire self too, and if he kissed him… If he let Raven kiss him, he felt like he would be promising just that. That wouldn't be fair, not to Raven, not to Gil… He would hurt them both if he let this happen…

And it was his job to protect them. He _promised _he would protect them no matter what… So…

"I…"

He swore he would not choose either of them, and he should stick to that… It would be better for them all in the end… right?

"I don't…" he whispered, pulling his head back a little, away from Raven, out of the man's grip, unable to summon the right words. "I just…" Were there any right words? Was there ever a way to tell someone you love, that may love you back, that you could not be together?

"O-Oz?"

Oz felt his throat tighten. Was this really right?

If it was, why did it have to hurt so much?

It hurt to pull away. It hurt more to hear the confusion, the uncertainty, the borderline pain in Raven's voice. It hurt.

He couldn't to it. He couldn't say it. He couldn't lie and tell Raven he didn't want this. But _this_ couldn't happen... "I-I have to go," he said quickly, pushing harder against Raven's chest and quickly sliding sideways off the table, dropping the bowl in his seating place as he did. Raven made to grab his wrist, but he whipped his hand away before the man could get a hold of him.

He couldn't stay here. He could hardly breathe. Hardly think. He felt sick with guilt, with fear, with sorrow…

He darted for the door before Raven could respond.

"Wait, Oz!"

He didn't stop. He had to ignore the pain, the urge to stop, to look back, and run… Because if he stopped, he didn't think he could trust himself to push Raven away a second time.

He had to run, because he was their master… And he had to do this to protect them…

This was right…

Wasn't it?

Raven watched Oz disappear through the door, the boy's face burning brightly, his body moving awkwardly, uncertain, but moving all the same. Moving away. Away from him… His mind screamed for him to follow, his body refused and instead collapsed against the table, supported by a single, shaky arm while his left hand pressed to his chest, trying to calm his racing heart, his erratic thoughts, the sudden wave of fear, of nervousness that took him over.

What… Just happened?

Everything had been perfect… absolutely perfect. They had almost… Oz had… He had wanted it, Raven _knew_ he did! He'd seen it in his eyes, he'd leaned forward too, they had been _so close_! But then… What happened? What went wrong? What did he do wrong?

Why had Oz run?

Why… _Why_?!

_"I can't leave it like this…"_ If he didn't deal with this now, Oz would forget what Raven knew he had felt in that moment; the undeniable spark, the physical attraction... He would only remember that they had almost kissed, and begin to panic. He would start to over-think everything, to doubt and to form reasons to keep them apart. He would ignore emotion entirely, because that was how Oz dealt with things, and view it as nothing more than an awkward breach of friendship.

If that happened, it was possible their relationship would never recover.

He could lose Oz…

Raven pushed himself away from the table and dashed for the door, accidentally knocking one of the maids that had been entering against the doorframe as he did so. He did not even stop to apologize or check if she was alright, he just kept running.

He had to find Oz.

**O-O-O**

_"Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop."_

Where should he go? What should he do? How could he let that happen? He was supposed to... but he wanted… And Raven… But Gil… They… He…

He couldn't think straight, not with the blood pumping through his veins. Which suited him fine. He wanted to keep running, and never stop. Never have to think, never have to worry, never have to deal with these emotions.

They had almost kissed…

They had almost… And he had wanted to…

He clenched his fists and ran faster, pounded the floor, barely registered the scarce amount of people he darted past, the few who had to quickly dodge him, the voices that called after him. Where? Where was he going? Anywhere? Nowhere? Where? What? When?

Raven's lips brushing against is own…

Raven. Gil. The same. So different. Could he be with one? Could he be with both? Could he be happy with anyone but Gilbert? Impossible. He didn't want anyone else. But he couldn't have them, have one, have…

_"I don't want to hurt them."_

But wasn't he already hurting Raven?

He didn't want that…

_"I'm protecting him. It would hurt more if we were together when I… When I feel for both of them."_

Wouldn't it?

He had to get away, be alone, away from everyone. He had to think this through, he had compose himself, he had to sort these feelings and lock them away before-

He crashed into somebody as he rounded one of the dimly lit corridors leading to his room – was that where he had been going? – the force and speed with which he did so knocking the pair to the floor. Oz quickly rolled sideways off the individual and pushed himself onto his hands and knees, intent on getting to his feet and continuing ("Don't stop!"), but adrenaline failed to keep the pain of the fall at bay, his burning lungs gasping for breath and paralyzing him in his current position now that he had finally stopped.

The voice of the person he had crashed into caused his already racing heart to hammer against his chest.

"Y-young Master? Are you alright?"

No… Not him, not now…

Gilbert had pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his now aching head while looking at his master with concern. For a moment, Oz stared, his mind racing. Gil was supposed to be in the library. Why was he awake? Why was he here, now? Why couldn't he talk?

Gil was staring at him. He had to say something.

He wanted to apologize, but instead the words that tumbled out of his mouth between breaths were, "What are you doing here?"

Gilbert blinked and allowed his hand to drop form his head, looking at Oz oddly. "I was going to my room…" he said quietly, reaching out towards the gasping blonde and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Master… Did something hap-?"

"Oz!"

Oz's eyes grew wide.

Raven…

He couldn't deal with this now. Not now! _He wasn't ready_!

Gilbert's gaze left that of his master, whose eyes were wide with apparent fear, and rose in order to take in the man that had just rounded the corner and almost tripped over the pair in his haste. He stumbled to a halt, his hands clenched, fists shaking, short of breath but not to the same extent as Oz. Gil was taken aback when, upon seeing him, Raven's eyes instantly turned icy. He quickly removed his hand from Oz's shoulder, somehow concluding that was the reason for the man's fiery gaze, but it did nothing to lessen his glare.

Gilbert looked between Oz and Raven, noting how the former kept his back to his servant, silent and unmoving. He still looked frightened.

Why was he scared?

Had Raven done something to him?

What was going on?

"Gil…" Oz finally said once he had managed to catch his breath somewhat, allowing his eyes to close. It was a struggle, keeping his voice from shaking, but somehow he managed to succeed, his calm composure, his lifeless voice, successfully hiding the panic he felt within. He had to get away… "I'm tired. I'm going to bed." He pushed himself to his feet.

"Oz, wait a minute," Raven took a step forward, now mere feet behind the boy, raising his hand as if he intended to grab Oz's shoulder, but allowing it to hover mid-air, "We have to talk."

Gilbert remained on the floor, afraid to move, hardly daring to breathe. The tension in the air was almost suffocating. Talk? What? Why? What was wrong with them?

"I'm tired…" Oz said simply, "We can talk tomorrow."

"No," Raven clamped his hand down on his shoulder, "we have to talk _now_."

"Let me go…" He couldn't do this. _"Please let me go…"_

"Not until you listen to what I have to say."

"Gil… Don't…" his voice was going hoarse, his throat tightening, his stomach twisting.

"What happened back there…"

"Don't…" Don't say it... Don't say it… If he said it Oz wouldn't be able to hide, to deny, to protect them. Gilbert was there. He was _right there_. He had to… He had to protect... But why was Raven cornering him? He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. He was afraid. He wanted to get away.

"You can't pretend it was nothing," Raven whispered, his voice suddenly much weaker, "_I_ can't. I don't… I don't want to pretend anymore…"

Oz's body was shaking. He was certain he was going to be sick. "Don't say it…" It wasn't right. Don't say it. _Please_ don't say it-!

"Oz please!" Raven tightened his grip as the blonde tried to shrug his hand off his shoulder while stepping forward, trying to pull away, "Stop running!"

"Don't-!"

"I know you know! You know that I'm in l-!"

"**I said I don't want to hear it!**"

Oz spun and struck the man's hand hard, throwing it off his shoulder, taking a step away from him in the process. Raven fell silent, shocked, staring at Oz. The blond was glaring at him with a ferocity his servant had never been on the receiving end of, fists bunched at his side, face red, eyes shining and teeth gritted.

"Why?" he growled harshly, then yelled, "Why can't you just shut up when you're told?!"

Raven actually retreated a step, "O-Oz I-"

"I said shut up! I said I didn't want to hear!" Oz shook his head forcefully, eyes shut tight. He didn't want to hear. He didn't. But… What was he doing? What was he saying? What was happening? He'd said… This wasn't working. This wasn't right. He'd messed up. He couldn't- What should he-? How should-?

Away. Get away. He had to get away, before he made things worse.

"Oz-"

"Just leave me alone!" He spun on his heel, and ran. He ran, because that was all he could do. He'd screwed up. It had all gone wrong. What had he said? What had he done? He'd ruined everything…

His heart constricted when Raven didn't call after him.

It almost shattered when he thought of the unspoken words the man had been about to utter.

_"You know that I'm in love with you!"_

_"Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop."_

**O-O-O**

"Master wait!" Gilbert called once he had managed to find his voice, but the Vassalius ignored him, darting down the hallway until he turned and threw himself through the door to his bedroom, slamming it shut behind him. Gilbert and Raven remained in the corridor in silence, staring at the spot where their master had disappeared, the latter still with his hand held out in the blonde's direction.

Gil turned his head to look at his elder self, feeling an uncomfortable jolt when he saw the shocked but otherwise unreadable expression on the man's face.

Raven… He…

He had feelings for Oz too… And he had acted on them. He had done something to Oz, he had somehow let his feelings be known. He had been about to confess, to tell Oz that he…

Raven's hand fell to his side, and with it shock vanished from his face. There were no tears, there were no exclamations of sorrow or anger… But his eyes lost all life, his features became emotionless, his entire form radiating a sense of deathly-silent despair.

_"You idiot…"_ Gilbert thought, his vision blurring as tears brimmed in his eyes, his heart aching for the man, _"Why? Why would you give your heart away to be shattered?" _Why would he risk everything for a hopeless dream, when he was bound to lose it all?

Shakily, Gilbert blinked away tears and pushed himself to his feet slowly, following the mans gaze back to his master's door for a moment before focusing on the elder Nightray, "Raven…" he whispered quietly, rubbing the back of his sleeve over his eyes to removed the slowly forming droplets. "Are you…?" Are you alright? Is there anything I can do? Even if he did ask, he knew the answers. There was nothing Gilbert could do for him…

Raven remained silent, staring at Oz's door for a moment, then took a deep breath, held it, and sighed heavily. Gilbert gasped when he began to move down the hallway, eerily composed and silent, the young servant stumbling after him and telling him not to do it, that it wouldn't help to go to Oz now... But Raven passed Oz's door without so much as a glance and continued onward until he reached his own room. He turned the handle, entered without a word, and closed the door quietly behind him.

Gilbert stood alone in the silent hallway for a few minutes, unsure whether he should try to talk to Oz or Raven. He was worried about his master, because he had never seen him act like that before… But he also had feeling it was Raven who needed help. Before he could make a choice the Nightray emerged from his bedroom, fully-dressed with his long black trench coat and placing his hat firmly atop his head.

"Raven?" Gilbert muttered when the man walked in his direction, but Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and roughly pushed the boy out of his way as he passed. Gil stumbled but gathered himself quickly, turning just in time to see the silent figure disappear around the corner.

He wanted to follow him… But… He couldn't leave his master at a time like this…

Raven wouldn't do anything stupid, he was probably just going to get some fresh air or something. Maybe he needed some time to himself after such a blow, to sort his thoughts. Maybe…

"Master?" Gil whispered as he approached the boy's door, knocking quietly and listening intently for any sounds beyond. "Are you alright?" Fresh tears brimmed in his eyes when he heard his master emit nothing but a quiet, partially-repressed sob from the opposite side of the door. "Oh Master…"

He wanted to go inside, to sit with his master, but Oz had seated himself with his back against the door, and refused to move. Not that Gilbert asked him as much… He knew Oz would hate for the boy to see him like this, or at least he had since that day… Instead, Gilbert silently turned and pressed his back against the door, sliding to the floor and sitting there.

"I'm here if you need me…"

Oz did not respond, but he didn't tell Gilbert to leave either.

_"Raven…"_ Gil frowned, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees, _"Why did you have to do it? I know how it feels… I know how much you just want to let him know… But it could never work out. How could you… Why did you…"_

He truly felt for the man; this was exactly what Gil had thought would happen if he chose to confess to Oz; it had been what had terrified him into silence. How could his master ever view Raven the same way again? They couldn't ignore something like this… Raven had as good as confessed forbidden affections for his master, for another man, and though Gilbert himself felt that there was nothing wrong with feeling for Oz, he knew that it was nothing more than a dream.

Raven had forgotten that, or not cared. And now…

At the other side of the door he heard Oz shuffle, felt the door move slightly as the teen leaned back against it, could almost see him burying his face in his hands through the sound of shuffling material and quiet, shaky breaths.

Gilbert pressed his forehead against his knees and shut his eyes tight, trying unsuccessfully to keep the tears at bay.

_"Oz… Raven…"_

**O-O-O**

Raven thought that heartbreak would be painful.

He imagined it would feel as though someone had torn the organ from his body and tossed it to the floor, shattering it into a million pieces like a crystal ornament, never to be returned to its original state again.

Instead, he felt numb.

The pain would come. He knew it would. As would the tears. There was no doubt of that.

He had gathered nothing but his pistols, his bullets, and his wallet from his room before leaving. He made his way down to the front door and walked outside. It was dark now, but the moonlight guided his way. One of the butlers asked if he needed a carriage. Raven ignored them. He left the estate on foot and walked, his hand on his gun, his eyes watching for thieves as he made his way towards the city. It was two in the morning before he reached his apartment, blind and deaf to the actions of the drunks in the street until one tried to pick a fight with him (a gun to the mans head and quickly scared him away).

It had been months since he had been there, so there was nothing to eat or drink when he arrived. He wished he'd bought something alcoholic on his way… But his feet were aching and he couldn't bring himself to go back out into the noisy street, so he shrugged off his jacket, lit up a cigarette, and dropped onto the sofa to rest.

He managed to remain focused on thoughts of quitting, thoughts of shopping, thoughts of housework and assignments for three more minutes… And then his mind filled with beautiful green eyes, bright and affectionate…

He choked back a sob when he saw them turn defensive, angry, hiding behind unshed tears.

Raven cried himself to sleep that night, lying on the sofa with his entire body curled in on itself, tears falling unchecked, cries resounding unrestrained, hands clutching at his shirt, his chest, his heart…

Trying to hold the shattering pieces in place.

"Oz… O-z… _Why_…"

**O-O-O**

Raven did not return to the Reinsworth estate the following day.

At breakfast, Alice questioned the location of her servant's-servant-who-was-therefore-her-servant, then asked why Oz was nowhere to be found, either. Gilbert explained that the boy was feeling unwell and had chosen to stay in bed and eat later. He pretended there was nothing else wrong, which fooled no one as he was a terrible liar, but thankfully only Alice pressed the matter, and she was distracted when enough food was put in front of her.

Oz did come to lunch, but he was quiet. He made the most of Gilbert's earlier lie and returned to his room with claims of an uneasy stomach, and no one saw him for the rest of the day. Gilbert went to his room to check on him numerous times, but Oz always pretended to be asleep. When Gilbert heard him crying quietly, he remained outside. He wanted to comfort him, but Oz might just get embarrassed…

When Raven did not return the next day, or even the day after, Oz began to return to his normal personality. His fake one. He laughed, he joked, but he also asked if anyone knew where Raven was. Everyone but Gilbert missed the desperation in his eyes, the disappointment when no one knew. When Break blatantly pointed out that Raven would always go and hide out in his apartment in Lebleux when he wanted to be alone, Gilbert could see his master wanted nothing more than to jump in the first available carriage and go find him.

Fear prevented him from doing so, and thus another two days passed without any word from Raven.

"Don't worry~" Oz sang when Alice grumbled that Raven was neglected his duties as manservant, "I'm sure he'll come back soon~!"

That night, Gilbert did not wait outside when he heard his master crying.

He slipped into the room and moved directly to his master's side, seating himself on the bed beside the boy and placing his hand on his shoulder. Oz lay on his side, hugging a pillow tightly, laughing quietly and telling Gil he didn't know what was wrong with him, then suddenly claimed he had been thinking of Holy Knight, and he was a child for crying about the death of a fictional character.

"It's stupid, isn't it?" he laughed, rubbing the back of his hand against his eyes, unwilling to allow the tears to fully form, "It's a stupid reason to cry, isn't it?"

Gilbert swallowed hard and shook his head. "No… It's not…" he said quietly, then raised his head and caught his master's eyes, "If you care about him… I think you have every right to cry…"

They both knew he wasn't talking about Edgar.

And after that Oz could not contain his tears. He buried his face in the pillow, he apologized repeatedly, continued to claim he didn't know what was wrong with him, that he was fine, that he would be perfect in a minute. Gilbert simply sat by Oz's side, stroking the boy's hair and speaking quietly to him. "It's ok… It's alright… I know…"

And he did know…

He knew why Oz was so upset, why he missed Raven so much, everything… It was because, despite social etiquette, despite age and gender boundaries, despite familial rivalries, friendship, moral…

Despite everything, even his own opinions and convictions, Oz was in love with Raven.

What else would cause the boy to break his own barriers? What else could possibly cause Oz to cry like this? Even if he missed Raven as a friend, he would have been able to go to see him, to work things out…

And Gilbert…

_"I was too late_…" he thought sadly, watching Oz push himself into a sitting position and rub the heel of his hands against his eyes, coughing awkwardly and apologizing again. Gilbert forced himself to smile and told him it was not a problem. _"If I had come out of the Abyss a little sooner… If I'd not let that Chain control me in the first place, maybe I could have made Oz fall for me… Maybe… But…"_

If Raven was the one Oz loved…

Gil felt his heart twist at the thought, but took a deep breath. "You…" he bit his lip and turned his attention to the window, staring out at the slowly drifting clouds. "You miss him, don't you?" He felt Oz shift on the bed, and looked back to see him staring at his feet, frowning sadly. He nodded.

That simple gesture seemed to affirm everything in Gilbert's mind.

"Don't worry…" he smiled, reaching out and petting Oz's shoulder gently, "He'll never leave you… He promised, didn't he?" he forced a quiet chuckle, "And trust me, I know, he'd never break a promise to you."

"I guess you have a point," Oz smiled and looked to Gilbert, reaching up and holding the hand resting on his shoulder, "Thanks, Gil…"

"No problem," Gil smiled, taking a few moments to realize that the two had simply been looking at one another. His eyes flicked to their connected hands and then back to Oz, shocked to find the boy was still looking at him. No… That…

Oz was just upset… He needed someone to comfort him, and right now that person was Gilbert. He could not deny that he felt… _Something_ between them in that moment, and many others over the passed few days…

But he was just Raven's replacement. They would both regret it if there was so much as a suggestion of something happening between them. So Gilbert swallowed the lump in his throat and laughed quietly, pulling his hand away from Oz. These feelings were pointless, he had to find a way to suppress them… "I think I might go to bed early tonight, Master."

"Why?" Oz asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine, I'm just a little tired," he said, which was partially true… He pushed himself off the bed, asked Oz once more if he needed anything, then bid his master goodnight and left the room.

Yes, he was tired, but that was not why he was going to bed early. It was because he would have to leave early in the morning if he wanted to have a chance of finding Raven tomorrow. He only had a vague idea of the streets of Lebleux, and even less of the back streets where Raven's apartment was situated, but he was confident he could find his way. He would have asked Break to help, but it had been several days since he had last seen the man, and he felt guilty asking the maids and servants of the Reinsworth estate.

_"No matter how much I wish I could make Oz happy_," he thought as he slipped under his bedcovers and began to settle down for the night, _"I'm not really the one he wants… I had already accepted that nothing was going to happen between us. I don't want to… And it doesn't seem fair that Raven can be with him when I can't… But…"_

If it was for Master Oz, Gil would do anything, no matter the cost to himself.

And so he was willing to step aside, to let Raven be with Oz, if that was what made his master happy.

His own happiness did not even enter the equation.

**O-O-O**

Raven sighed and drank his third cup of coffee since he awoke that morning, casting a critical eye over his apartment. Spotless. Every nook and cranny was devoid of dust, everything that could be polished was gleaming, there was barely a crease in the bedcovers, not a smudge on the window or any off the cutlery.

He really had to get out of there… To get food if nothing else. He had stocked up the day after he arrived and rarely left the room since. He spent his time cleaning, drinking coffee and wine, and cooking a ridiculous amount of food he ended up throwing out because he couldn't eat it all. Anything, to keep his mind occupied and away from a certain blonde-haired teen.

Every time he saw his face in his mind, it hurt…

So he tried not to think about him. At all. But that was always impossible…

He missed him. Painfully. But he couldn't bring himself to go back… Part of him had hoped that Oz would come looking for him (there weren't many places he could have gone to), hence remaining in the apartment most of the time. He was hiding out, but praying to be found… A little conflicting, but that was how he's thought process worked.

Right now, though, he was hungry, and there was nothing but stale bread in the cupboard. So once he had completed a quick inspection of his appearance in the mirror, smoked one final cigarette, and a hastily written down a small shopping list, he placed his hat on his head, locked the door to his apartment, and went to the market.

**O-O-O**

_"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…"_

Gilbert shielded his eyes from the morning sun and searched for any sign of the river the merchant had directed him towards earlier. He knew Raven's apartment was set somewhere near one of the small bridges crossing it… If he could just find it, he could walk the length of the river until he spotted Raven's building… He hoped.

He approached a young woman behind one of the stalls to ask for directions, and was forced to purchase some strange-looking pieces of jewelry before she would answer his questions. One item for every question; he ended up with five rather ugly earrings he cast aside as soon as possible, but thankful that he had been pointed in the right direction. The bridged at the end of the street, apparently, would take him exactly where he wanted to go.

_"I really hope Break was right, and that he is there…"_ he thought as he squeezed between the crowd gathered around a street performer breathing fire. The carriage driver had taken him to Pandora HQ, unable to enter the narrow back alleys, and was waiting for him there. It hadn't been difficult getting to the market, but it spread off into a number of streets and alleyways that had caused the young boy to get lost quickly. Two hours after arriving he was finally nearly there.

Now all he had to do was convince his elder self to come back…

Which would probably prove to be easier said than done.

**O-O-O**

_"Geez, Gilbert, could you be anymore pathetic?"_ Raven mentally slapped himself, quickly turning his head away from the assortment of green vegetables he had started comparing to the color of Oz's eyes. Really… Was he having withdrawal symptoms or something? He certainly hadn't gone comparing the teen to his shopping list before…

_"I really miss him…"_ he sighed and ran his fingers though his hair, eyes scanning the produce before him for the best quality ingredients. _"I wonder if I should-"_

"Raven is that you?"

He felt his entire body tense at the sound of his second name being called. The only people who really called him that were members of Pandora, the Stupid Rabbit when she was in a good mood, and…

"Raven?" Gilbert appeared by his side in a flash, a relieved smile crossing his face when the man turned his head down to look at him, "I'm so glad it's you this time! There are a lot of tall guys dressed in black jackets today… H-Hey Raven!"

Raven had spun around and quickly begun to move in the direction of his apartment, intent on getting there, locking the door, and covering his ears so he wouldn't have to listen to the brat's rambling if he decided to follow him. He was stopped, however, when the kid darted around and stood in front of him with his arms out, asking where he was going. "Do you really think you can stop me?" he asked, glaring down at the small teen. A gently shove would remove the kid from his path.

"Raven, please listen to me," Gilbert asked, standing his ground and meeting the man's harsh glare without backing away, "You have to come back."

Raven scoffed. "Why should I?" he asked bitterly. He had wanted someone to come and find him, but not _him_. Heck, he would have been happy if it had been Break or even Alice, but not the kid… Not the one that had caused all of this in the first place… If he had never showed up then Raven wouldn't have felt threatened, he might had held back, he might have let things take there course and develop slowly…

He might not have rushed and messed things up with Oz…

"Master Oz really misses you," Gil said earnestly, causing Raven's heart to skip a beat. He missed him? After what he'd done? But if that was the case…

"Then why isn't he here?"

Gil frowned, "Please Raven, just come back and-"

"If he really wanted me to come back he'd have come here himself," Raven snapped. Did he believe it? He didn't know, but just the sight of the kid was putting him on edge, "He seems just as happy to have you around; I guess that means I'm just in the way."

"Wh-what?" Gilbert blinked, his eyes wide in surprise. What was Raven talking about? Did he… Did he think Oz had replaced him? He was doing anything but! "No, you're wrong. He-"

"Save it…" Raven growled, pressing the back of his hand against the boy head and pushing him sideways out of his way, walking quickly down the street towards his apartment.

Gilbert tripped over a few boxes as he stumbled, taking a moment to regain himself before he darted back onto the street. He caught sight of Raven's retreating back and quickly darted after him. "Raven! Raven hold on!" Damn it… Why was he so stubborn? Didn't he want to come back? "Rav-!"

An explosion of pain shot through his chest.

A flash of red.

A moment off complete darkness.

Gil gasped and stumbled to a stop, hands clutching the material of his shirt above his heart. What… What was that?

The dizziness was back…

_"No… No, not now!"_ It had been fine for days! He hadn't had a problem for _days_! He thought it was over!

But this time was different from before. It had never hurt. Not like this. It felt like his heart was clamped inside a metal vice that was slowly tightening. He grimaced and swayed awkwardly, collapsing onto his hands and knees. There was a hand on his shoulder, but he barely registered it. He coughed. And he coughed again. He could not stop. He pressed a hand to his mouth, coughing hard, gasping for breath, unable to get enough air in his lungs.

He felt a warmth spread over his palm, and opened his bleary vision to try and see the cause.

Blood… Blood on… He was coughing up…

Why was…? What was… happening…?

He coughed again, but then he no longer seemed to have the strength to do so; he was suddenly weak, unable to keep himself upright. He fell sideways to the ground, his vision swimming, swirling, darkening…

"Sir! Sir! Do you know that boy?"

Raven was forced to stop when a rather panicked woman grabbed his sleeve, casting her a quizzical look before looking back in the direction she was pointing. His eyes grew wide when they fell on the kid, lying motionless on the floor in the middle of the street with a small circle of curious individuals forming around him, one man shaking his shoulder in an attempt to wake him.

What? What had happened? A few seconds ago…

He turned and darted back down the street, dropped to the boys side and quickly looked him over; he was shivering, blood on his hands, a single trail of the red liquid dripping from his mouth. "Hey! Brat! What's wrong with you?!" he asked frantically, pushing the man who had stopped to help Gil aside in order to get closer. He pushed hair out of the boys face, noting that it was suddenly much paler than usual. What on earth was going on?! "Come on, this isn't funny… Open your eyes!"

No response. Not even a mumble. Not even a twitch of a limb.

"Damn it!" Raven rolled the boy onto his back and slipped his arms under his body, gathering the child to his chest and quickly looking back and forth. The man who had stopped pointed down the street and said there was a medical centre two streets down. Raven thanked him and darted in that direction. He glanced down at the boy in his arms, "What's going on? Are you sick?" Still no response, and Raven felt his heart racing in panic, "Brat, I swear if you die on me…" He didn't want to think about that. He was mad at the kid, but he would never want something like _this_!

He yelled at a few people to get out of his way, slipped in between crowds who parted as best they could when he cast them a threatening glare. Medical centre… Where was it? What was even going on? He'd literally turned his back on the kid for thirty seconds and he'd collapsed! Had he caught some nasty virus or something? Then why was he coughing up blood?!

A tug on his cravat made his heart leap; oh thank God! He wasn't dead! "Kid?"

"Don't…" the child mumbled hoarsely, and Raven was forced to stop dead in his tracks and lift the child upwards, tilting his head down so that his ear was next to his mouth, "Tell… Oz…"

"…What? Kid? Do you mean you've been… You mean this isn't _new_?!" Raven almost screamed, shaking the child harshly, "Kid? Kid! What's going on? What have you been hiding?!"

But Gilbert was unconscious, his breathing short and ragged, the blood on his hands now smeared on Raven's white cravat. The man cursed and held Gil close, looking around to try and remember where he was going and near-sprinting when he saw a sign pointing him towards the centre.

Idiot… The kid was an idiot!

"Don't die on me, you hear me?!" he yelled, "You promised forever as well! You can't leave him either!"

As Raven cradled the unconscious child in his arms, waiting for the doctor, forever had never seemed so impossible.

**O-O-O**

"Alice? Have you seen Gilbert?"

"Nope."

"Huh… I haven't seen him all morning…"

"Maybe he's being useless and shooting still targets again."

"Until noon? I don't think so…"

"Hey… What's with the look?"

"I don't know, it's just not like him to go missing like this."

"… I'll kick him in the head when he comes back. Servant's shouldn't make their masters worry."

"Ha, that's alright Alice, you don't need to do that…"

"Hmph…"

Oz moved away from the dining table and stood by the window, peering out in the direction of the target grounds despite his earlier denial. No Gilbert… Of course, he would have heard the gunshots. But where else could he be?

And why did Oz have a terrible feeling something was wrong...?

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	17. Chapter 15

Here you are! The real 'end of Part II'! Sorry for not changing the last back to 'To Be Continued' ^_^;

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! It encouraged me to finish this one though I still haven't finished replanning Part III. I'll try to get it out as soon as possible, but it may take a while, sorry :( (Though I might get another mini section out soon :) There are only a few chapters left so I'll try to work fast!)

Anyway! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It may be a little slow, but it's an important piece in a number of respects (there are enough clues in the story now for people to make an accurate guess about what's happening to Gilbert), and it focuses mainly on the two Gils :) I hope you enjoy!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 15**

**O-O-O**

Oz should have been thankful for a little time to himself.

Ever since his argument with Raven and the man's disappearance, his mind had been a beehive of activity, of mixed emotions and rapid, every-changing thoughts and feelings. As he often had done with previous conflictions, the blond had tried to lock them away and ignore them, but just as his feelings for his servant (or _servants_) had refused to remain unnoticed, so too did this flurry of confusion.

Raven… He missed the man so desperately. Even though he knew that seeing him again would only cause them both more pain, he wanted to find him. He wanted to apologize, and… Well, honestly, he wanted to return Raven's affections. But he wouldn't… He couldn't, and Raven probably hated him now, anyway.

That didn't stop him wanting to see the man, even though another part of him felt it would be better for them to spend some time apart. Maybe these feelings would lessen then, maybe Raven would move on without him. A painful thought, but perhaps it would be better for everyone...

But… He didn't want that…

Why did Raven have to try and kiss him? Why couldn't he have just let things the way they were? It was not what either of them wanted, but it was certainly better than this…

These confusing thoughts were only made worse when his second servant was involved.

Gilbert, ever loyal, ever gentle, and understanding… Unlike Raven, whose every thought, emotion and reaction seemed to need consideration after what had happened, things were just so easy with Gil. The fluttering sensation in is heart whenever the young servant was near him did not quell, but the boy had no expectations of his master. He was there when Oz needed him, knew exactly when and when not to approach him when he was upset, and he never tried to force Oz to do or say or think anything he didn't want to.

He didn't try to kiss him.

He was just… there for him.

And Oz was disgusted with himself when, during the past few days, he felt a strong desire just to have Gilbert hold him, and care for him, though in reality his pride would never allow the young servant to do as much. When it was just the two of them, spending time together and sharing in secret sadness and silences, he felt a mixture of emotions. He felt grateful for Gil remaining by his side, he felt embarrassed that he had allowed himself to break down in front of the boy, and he felt the love that had always been there. Coaxed by the emptiness he felt after his fight with Raven, and from the comfort of the second person he had fallen for, Oz found himself wanting to kiss Gilbert at a number of instances, but the boy always seemed to pull away when the moment appeared just right. And though it upset him, he was glad the boy did.

After what he had done to Raven, what he almost did to Gil in nearly kissing the elder servant, he didn't deserve either of them.

After what he'd done… He didn't deserve anyone…

Yes, in theory, time without his servants should have given him a period in which to clear his mind, to sort his thoughts and feelings, and when the world finally made sense again he could relax.

But all he felt was a coldness. A sense of loneliness, and loss.

And the more the thought, the deeper he sank. He felt like he was tangled in strong, silver-threaded web, where the bindings grew tighter and tighter, crushing his heart, his lungs, crushing _him_ the more he tried to get away from them. He struggled against his feelings, his desires... _And it was strangling him._

He didn't deserve them... But…He still wanted them.

No matter how wrong it was, how selfish it was, he wanted them.

_But a single thread of doubt strangled his heart._

He wanted both of them… He couldn't have them… But he wanted…

He sighed from where he lay shivering beneath the large, budding hawthorn tree behind the main mansion. He had been wandering the grounds alone since he heard from the stable master that his servant had left early that morning, instantly certain the boy had left to find Raven. He was touched by the boys concern, excited that Raven might be coming back, yet also terrified. When his feelings became overwhelming he lay beneath the tree and watched the clouds drift by, trying to relax. It hadn't worked.

He knew the only ones who could calm him were the exact people that caused these feelings in the first place. He didn't even care that seeing them would, at the same time, confuse him more.

All he knew was that without his servant by his side, the world around him seemed somehow darker.

"Please come home soon…" he whispered to the wind, "Gil…"

**O-O-O**

It was cold.

Or rather, the breeze that brushed across his skin was cold. Gilbert frowned and turned his face away from the source, grumbling. Had one of the maids come in and opened his window again? He really didn't want to get up… Just a few more minutes… If he covered himself with his blanket he could keep warm… But where was it? He felt around for it, hands moving across his shirt, then sliding to what should have been a comfortable, feather-stuffed mattress. Instead he felt a worn, unfamiliar surface. His eyes snapped open as alarm bells resounded in his head.

He wasn't in his room.

He was no where near Reinsworth estate.

He had left to find Raven. He had found him. But the man had tried to leave. He had followed.

And then…

Had his brain and body not felt so groggy Gilbert would have leapt off the rather uncomfortable bed and demanded to know where he was, where Raven was, what was going on and whether or not his elder self had told his master what had happened. Instead, he groaned and pressed a hand over his bleary eyes, noticing a dull pounding sensation in the side of his skull, but other than feeling a little groggy there did not seem to be anything wrong with him.

But he had been coughing up blood… Hadn't he? Or did he imagine that? He certainly hadn't fabricated the pain… But what did it mean?

"Sleep well?"

Gil's heart leapt; that voice was-!

"Raven?" he asked before removing the hand from his face, blinking at the large black blur to his right until his vision cleared. Raven, arms folded and head lowered so that his hat covered his face, was indeed seated in a chair next to the rather old bed Gilbert was currently lying in, one of about half a dozen in the otherwise empty room. As he pushed himself into a sitting position he cast a curious glance around, then looked back at Raven, "Where-?"

"Doctors."

"How-?"

"You passed out. I carried you."

"Ah… Thanks…" Gilbert looked around awkwardly when Raven merely grunted in response. This wasn't good… This really wasn't good. They must be at a medical centre of some kind… What had the doctor told Raven?

It was just a few dizzy spells, a little bit of nausea once in a while, but if Oz found out he would worry, and Gilbert would be forced to stay inside, or take weird medicine, or… maybe he wouldn't be allowed to travel with his master or friends anymore. He might even be sent away to some strange hospital, or Pandora, to figure out why he was fainting.

It was nothing, but they wouldn't see it that way. They'd make a big deal out of it…

Though… Why had he coughed up… Blood?

Even so, it was just a one-time thing… He didn't need to worry about it. And neither did anyone else.

"I don't know what happened," he said, running a hand through his messy black hair, forcing himself to smile, "I guess I shouldn't have skipped breakfast." A lie. He laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

"Don't lie."

"H-Huh?"

Raven raised his head then, the piercing gaze he shot in the teen's direction actually causing Gil to flinch. "How long has this been happening?"

"What?" Gil clenched his hands tightly, breath catching in his chest. How did he know that…? "Th-this is the first time I-"

"Before you passed out you said 'don't tell Oz'," Raven growled, unfolding his arms and placing the palms of his hands against the boys bed, leaning forward, "Why would you say that if this hadn't happened before?"

"I…" Gil couldn't remember saying that, he didn't remember much at all about what had happened after he had started that horrendous coughing fit, but he could feel his heart pounding harder at the man's claim, "I-I just didn't want him-" Raven's hand, shooting out and gripping the front of Gil's shirt and tugging him forward so their faces were close, silenced the servant instantly.

"I said stop lying!" Raven yelled, eyes ablaze with fury. "How long have you been hiding this? Days? Weeks? Why didn't you tell anyone?" He pulled the stuttering boy closer, "Answer me!"

"I-I'm sorry-!" Gilbert gasped, tears springing to his eyes as a result of the sudden onslaught of emotion that raced through his tired and weakened body.

Anxiety. Guilt. _Fear_.

Too close. Raven was angry.

Would he hurt him?

Would he hit him?

_He was going to hit him._

Would he tell Oz? He just wanted his master to be happy, he'd come to find Raven so his master could be happy. But if he told him… If Oz found out he was… He didn't want to lose him. Not Oz… _please_ not Oz…

Raven shook him hard, and Gilbert shut his eyes tight to try and block everything out.

Why?

Why was this happening?

Why didn't he stay at the mansion? Why did Raven have to find him like that? If he told Oz…

Gilbert felt physically sick with worry; everything was suddenly out of his control, his secret suddenly in the open. He couldn't deny it, couldn't hide it… What should he do now?

"Look at me!" Raven yelled, the servant's obvious fear and reluctance to look at him only serving to stir the emotions within him more, turning the already confused feelings into a torrential storm. He was angry; angry because the brat had lied, angry because he wasn't listening, angry because he wasn't looking. He was just _angry_. He just wanted to strike him for being such an idiot. His fists were shaking, his breath quivering. With rage. With confusion. With fear. "You brat… I thought you were going to die!"

"I'm sorry," Gil choked, raising his hands to cover his face, "I'm sorry Raven, I'm sorry-!" _"Please don't hit me…"_

Raven roughly pushed the boy away from him, releasing his shirt in the same instance, and rose quickly to his feet, towering over his younger self. "Are you going to tell me, then?" he asked in an eerily calm tone, pausing for a moment to allow the teenager to gather himself, to wipe unshed tears from his eyes. When he received no response, however, he scoffed and turned on his heel, facing the door, "Fine, then," he said, "If you won't tell me, maybe you'll talk to Oz."

"W-wait!" Gilbert cried, a little louder than he had meant to, and leapt out of bed to follow the retreating man. But his legs were weak, and he stumbled uselessly the moment his feet touched the floor, crashing hard to the ground and banging his face hard against the wooden floorboards.

"What-? You stupid brat!" Raven hissed, spinning around and instantly moving to the boy's side, "You're supposed to stay in bed! … Are you alright?"

Gilbert grimaced, trying to ignore the ache in his nose and chest alighted from the fall, and reached out blindly to grip Raven's sleeve, raising his head to find the man's face as he did so. His vision was a little starry from the fall, but he pressed on regardless. "P-Please don't! Don't tell Oz!"

Raven narrowed his eyes, tearing his hand out of Gilbert's grip and leaning back slightly, out of his reach, "Brat, I don't know what's going on, but if it's serious I'm not keeping it from him." He pushed himself to his feet, intent on reaching down and pulling Gil to his feet, but the young servant seemed to have thought Raven was leaving, and latched his hands around the man's right foot. "H-hey! What are-?"

"Please don't!"

"What is _wrong_ with you? Let go of my foot!"

"Please Raven!" He was crying now, Raven noticed. Not hard, but tears were flowing unchecked from his eyes, his face suddenly pale, constricted, his bright golden irises staring at him with a look of utter desperation. That alone froze Raven in place, preventing him from shaking the boy's grip off. "Please!" Gilbert cried, "If Oz finds out that there's something wrong with me he won't want me around anymore!"

Raven felt his heart stop. "What are you talking about?" he asked, a question he hadn't intended to voice.

What the kid was saying…

"I'm a servant! If I can't-" Gilbert sobbed, clutching the hem of Raven's pants as he struggled to drag his knees under his body in order to sit up, lowering his head in the process as such a simple task appeared to strain his entire body, "If I'm broken, then I'm no use!"

These words were exactly like…

"And Oz will- M-Master Oz won't," Gilbert reached a hand up in an attempt to grab Raven's jacket, but the elder man lowered himself and caught the boys hand in his own, holding it firmly, "He won't…" Gilbert brought his other hand up to wipe away the tears from his eyes, a pointless action as they were replaced a moment later. Once again, he raised his tear-glazed gaze to Raven's.

In that moment, when two pairs of identical, golden orbs met, the entire world stood still for the elder Nightray.

A sudden moment of realization.

Of understanding.

Because for the first time, even if he didn't want to, Raven truly saw.

He saw himself.

He saw his feelings and his fears, the ones he locked away, the ones he denied for so many years, and the ones that plagued his nightmares even now… They were all reflected in the child before him.

Gilbert clenched his own shirt, above his heart. His aching heart. A pain shared by his elder self. "He won't…" he breathed hoarsely, blinking away tears, refusing to break eye-contact with Raven, "need me anymore…"

"_He won't need me anymore_…" Raven dropped to one knee in front of Gilbert, the younger boy's right hand still held in his, and simply stared. _"How many nights… How many _years_ have I worried about the exact same thing?"_

Being left behind, being forgotten, being of no more use to the person he cared for most…

"Please Raven…" Gilbert whispered, shaking his head, "I'll do a-anything… Just don't... Don't tell h-im-"

"Take it easy…" Raven whispered when the boy's voice broke, "He wouldn't send you away…" he said, but instantly wished he hadn't. Gilbert's face twisted and his head lowered, eyes shutting tight and head shaking vigorously from side-to-side, denying, just as Raven would, the thought that a weak, useless servant could still be with his master. Raven swallowed hard, discontented to find a lump forming in his throat.

This boy was his enemy… His rival… He didn't want him to die or anything like that, but he wanted him out of his life. Out of sight. Away from Oz.

This was the perfect opportunity. Whatever was wrong with him, if he was ill, he would not be able to travel with them anymore. Once he eventually returned to the mansion, and when they began to receive missions again, it would just be Raven, Oz and the stupid rabbit. No more distractions. He could focus on fixing things with Oz, or trying to, and perhaps get their relationship back on track.

And all he had to do was…

He looked at the boys shaking shoulders, his entire body curling in on itself more and more as hope pulled further and further from his mind, leaving him to drown in thoughts of isolation, of heartbreak and sadness.

Those tears… Those thoughts and feelings… They could so easily be his very own. Had been, when he had left the mansion days ago, and thought everything was over.

Even if the brat was supposed to be his rival… Raven could not put him through that sort of torment.

"Don't worry… I won't tell him…" he said quietly, sighing which Gilbert's shocked face rose quickly to meet his own before he pushed himself back to his feet and tugged lightly on the boy's hand, "Can you stand?"

"I…" Gilbert, eyes burning and body still shaking, shocked that Raven had just agreed to remain silent (he really hadn't thought he would), looked down at his legs and frowned when his attempt to move them resulted in no more than a weak twitch. "I don't…" he began quietly, blinking in surprise when Raven released his hand and, without a word, reached down and placed both his hands under Gilbert's arms and lifted him effortlessly to his feet, keeping one arm around his shoulders when the young servant managed to steady himself somewhat and helping him back to sit on his bed.

What… was going on? Why was Raven suddenly so…?

"The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you," Raven said once Gilbert had wiped his eyes dry, causing the boy to stare at him in shock, "He said he checked all your vitals and for any signs of illness, and found nothing. He said you were perfectly healthy." He pushed his left hand into his pocket and frowned down at the boy, but it was not the intense, accusing stare he had previously held, "But I think we both know that's not true."

Gilbert bit his lip and looked down at his knees. He wasn't healthy? Well, he was dizzy sometimes, but that wasn't a big deal… right?

"How long has this been happening?"

Raven was speaking so quietly now… He sounded genuine, yet there was a thread of uncertainty laced in his tone. _"I believe him, though…"_ Gilbert thought, _"I believe he won't tell… And he's just trying to help…"_ So he calculated the weeks that had passed since his first collapse, then frowned and, filled with guilt, muttered, "Six weeks…"

He listened, eyes locked on his own legs, as Raven paused to calculate, cursing quietly when he realized that Gil had been collapsing long before he ever joined the trio. "I-I thought it was just because of the tests at Pandora…" he whispered, trying to explain himself.

"Kid, this…" Raven sighed, and Gilbert cast a cautious glance upwards to see the man remove his hat and run his fingers through his hair, looking unsettled, "We need to go to Pandora about this."

Gilbert tensed; Pandora instantly brought back memories of interrogation, experimentation, spells and chains. Needles, medicines, magic barriers… He didn't want to go back there! And with connections to people within the building there was no way Oz wouldn't hear about it. "B-But-!"

"Break," Raven said simply, silencing that boy's protests with his firm tone, "He may look like an idiot, but he has a habit of knowing things the rest of us don't. And he's a master when he comes to keeping secrets. He should be at Pandora now."

Something about Raven's voice suggested that he would no take no for an answer, and considering he could easily carry Gilbert there under his arm if he needed to there was little the young servant could do to protest. He frowned and shook his head lightly, but offered no further complaints.

Raven nodded and took his seat next to the boy again. "We'll go once you feel a little better."

"I'm fine now…"

"Humor me and take a nap."

"… Okay…"

**O-O-O**

"And that's it," Liam sighed as he collected the papers Break had scattered across his office floor hours previously. It hadn't surprised him, really, but he'd yelled at the grey-haired mischief-maker all the same and told him he would never help him with his reports again (they both knew that was a lie). He then almost tossed the files he had managed to acquire from the magic department at the man, but he couldn't bare to disorder the papers of his own accord, and so placed them carefully on his desk before the man before he set about cleaning up the mess. "I wasn't able to get anything from the Chain department, they-"

"Why not?! What a useless idiot!"

"Now, now Emily," Break scolded the doll on his shoulder pressed a finger to his lip as if trying to quiet a child, "That is very rude of you. Just because he can't do his job properly…"

"What?!"

"I doubt it would be of any use, anyway," Break sighed dramatically, once against propping he feet up on Liam's desk and reading through the new files. He then thought better of it and rose to his feet to pace the room. Then he decided he'd much rather pace the table and carelessly kick his friend's papers, stationary and such in all directions in the process. As Liam cursed him with a rather restrained by wide vocabulary of words, Break murmured to himself, "We've done enough tests to prove his not a Chain, though I suppose the possibility can't be ruled out entirely. Still, these are probably better."

Liam growled and pointed at the floor, "Get off my desk!"

"Oh, but you didn't say _please_~!"

"PLEASE get off my desk!"

Break gasped and pulled Emily from his shoulder and holding her close. "What a scary tone!" he whined, bending his body as if attempting to cower, but keeping his feet firmly planted on Liam's paperwork.

"Xerxes Break if you-!"

"Cut it out Liam, you know it only provokes him."

Both members of Pandora froze for a moment at the sudden appearance of a third individual ("Isn't it sad Emily? No one has the manners to knock anymore…"), who was standing in the doorway observing the scene without a hint of amusement on his features. Liam coughed awkwardly and nodded, "I guess you have a point, Master Gilbert…"

"Raven~!" Break sang, tossing his arms in the air and knocking the final remaining items off Liam's desk as he shifted position, "You came to see me at work, how kind~!"

Raven shook his head at the man's eccentric reactions, appearing disinterested. The very fact the man had appeared before him when he was in the middle of one of his 'episodes' was reason enough for Break to think something was wrong; if anyone, he expected Oz to be the first person the Nightray heir visited. That, and the stiffness of his shoulders, the intention in his bright golden eyes, caused Break to sober in understanding and leap from the table, still clutching the file and Emily to his chest. Liam quickly excused himself from the room when he saw the intense gaze that was shared between the raven and hatter, understanding this was not something he was meant to be involved in.

Over the years Break and Raven, though regularly at odds with one another, had learned to understand when the other seriously needed the other for something simply by the air surrounding them. Raven, at this present moment, was terrified and in need of assistance for some reason, though his outward appearance suggested nothing but nonchalance. Break formed one of his penetrating, all-knowing smiles and asked, "And to what do I deserve this pleasant visit, hmm?"

Raven sighed and took a step sideways in order to turn and look behind him, gaze scanning the hall outside beyond Break's line of sight, before he took a step forward and grabbed, roughly dragging an unsteady Gilbert to his side by the wrist. Break blinked his single eye in question when Raven turned back to face him, placing a hand on the younger boys shoulder and holding on as if trying to prevent him from running away. "We need your help with something."

Xerxes took one look at Raven's emotionless face, his fearful eyes, then focused on the boy by his side, who had his head lowered and his gaze locked on the floor; the term 'lamb to the slaughter' came to mind. "I see…"

So Raven knew, did he? Well, he would have preferred to solve this little mystery without involving any of the main group, but it could hardly be helped. He turned and placed the file, open, on the bare desk behind him, "Come in, then," he gestured to the chairs by the desk, "and tell me what you know."

**O-O-O**

It was late in the evening when Gilbert and Raven emerged from Pandora Headquarters, the former reluctantly telling the coachman that had been waiting for him for most of the day that he would not be returning to the mansion that night, something he asked the driver to relate to Oz when he arrived at the Reinsworth estate. In truth, right now he wanted nothing more than to go to his temporary home, draw the curtains in his room, go to bed, and never, ever get up again.

But he had come here with a mission, and he intended to fulfill it, no matter what.

"Why are staying?" Raven asked as the pair made their way down the street, hands forced into his pockets in an attempt to prevent himself turning around and hitting something just to release the pent-up frustration due to the series of confusing events that had transpired that day. "Is it because of what Break said?"

"Well…"

"Because you know that's complete nonsense."

Gilbert frowned, "Is it?"

Raven cursed quietly under his breath, shaking his head, "It has to be… it's ridiculous."

"More ridiculous than two versions of the same person existing at the same time?" Gil asked. "I don't know much about the Abyss… As he said, whatever's wrong with me, it could just be a virus or a hereditary condition that hasn't surfaced in you. But… It could just as easily have something to do with the Abyss…"

Raven paused when he noticed the boy's presence had vanished from his side, turning to see Gil had stopped in the middle of the relatively empty street, staring down at the cobbled floor. "Don't think about it," he ordered, instantly sensing the boys worry, his fear, "There isn't anything we can do about it until Break get's back to us, so there's no point in getting worked up over what might be nothing." Gilbert nodded weakly in response, slowly animating his feet once again and falling into step with Raven once that man also began moving. _"He's really shaken up about this…" _Raven thought as he watched the boy's vacant eyes focus on the floor. _"Not that I could blame him, really. He has no idea what's wrong with him and only the undisclosed theories of a crazy clown to go on."_

There was silence between them as they made there way back in the direction of Raven's flat, the elder of the pair pondering over they conversation they had just had with Break. The red-eyed Pandora member appeared to have already known about the brat's condition, and had been looking into it himself. He claimed he had theories about what was happening, but said no more than that.

The only thing he did tell them was that he thought that being around Raven was good for Gilbert.

"Why would you say that?" Raven had asked.

"Well…" Break had hummed in response, lying on the desk and swinging his legs idly in the air as he spoke, turning his gaze sideways slightly to pin the elder Nightray with a single ruby orb, "It appears that Little Gilbert has far fewer 'episodes' when he spends time around you, _Raven_."

"Now you're just making stuff up."

Break had pointed dramatically towards the ceiling at that, and stated in a rather matter-of-fact tone, "Monday and Tuesday last, on both days you accompanied him to the shooting range, before and after which you were in one another's company for lunch and dinner, and you spent Tuesday evening together with Master Oz and Miss Alice. Did you have any issues on those days, Gilbert?"

The brat, speaking for the first time since he had entered the room, said, "W-well… I felt a little nauseous at times, but… I didn't get dizzy or light-headed…"

Break nodded, "And Friday, when Raven was no where to be seen?"

"I… felt weak around noon, and fell asleep in the main hall when the Young Master went to find Miss Alice…"

After a moment of silence, one Break had clearly not interrupted in order to let the message sink it, Raven asked, "You don't think it's just a weird coincidence?"

"It could be," Break had said in an airy, dismissive tone accompanied by a light shrug, "but I'm inclined to think it's not."

So… Break thought that being in Raven's company would help the kid in some weird, undefined way, which was probably the reason said boy hadn't gone back to the mansion (Raven had flat-out told him as they made their way to the main entrance that he was staying in the city, after which the brat ran and dismissed the carriage awaiting him). It made Raven a little awkward, that he was going to have to let the kid stay at his place for the night. Part of his mind was perfectly fine with the idea, but the part of him pining for Oz still looked at him as an obstacle.

But Gilbert was scared and had been dealing with this on his own for long enough… The least Raven could do was let the kid stay with him so he could gather his thoughts before going back to Oz.

"It's… Clean," Gilbert said when he entered Raven's apartment, eyes scanning the spotless room in unrestrained surprise. Raven muttered something about having a lot of free time before setting the groceries he had bought on the way back down on the counter and taking out a few ingredients.

"You can stay here tonight," Raven said as he instantly began to work on dinner, waving off Gil's offer to help, "But tomorrow you're going right back to the mansion."

"Along with you."

"Brat…" Raven grumbled, dicing a few vegetables and tossing them into a pot, "It's not that easy."

"I don't care."

He blinked and looked to his right to see the young teen standing with the kind of uncertain determination of a child standing up to a bully, trying so desperately to look confident he looked even more terrified than ever before. "What?"

"The young master misses you," Gilbert said bluntly, "And it's your responsibility as his servant to come back and make him happy again."

Raven could not help but chuckle at that - had he always been so naïve? – but the action only seemed to frustrate the tightly wound teen more. In response, Raven reached a hand over and flicked him in the forehead, "Calm down before you hurt yourself."

"Raven…" the kid's voice sounded sad… Raven focused entirely on the task at hand so he wouldn't have to look at him, "He really cares about you, you know. He keeps asking about you, where you are, but he's afraid to come and find you in case you don't want to come back." Raven lit the stove and placed the pot on top of it, mixing the ingredients lightly. Gilbert took a step towards him, but the elder man still refused to look in his direction. "Raven…" he said, "He was crying."

Raven almost dropped the pot at that, head shooting over to catch that glint in the boys eye, the nervous twitch that said he was lying.

He didn't find it.

But… Oz didn't…

"And I don't know about you," Gil continued, "but I haven't seen Oz cry for over three years…"

Thirteen years…. It had been thirteen years since Raven had seen Oz cry. After everything with Zai, he just kept it to himself and… But… Why…? Did he really… miss him that much?

"So please… If you still care about him, come back with me tomorrow." Gilbert asked, keeping his gaze locked with his elder self. "Because I'm not leaving without you."

He had made Oz _cry_? How… How could he do such a thing? How could he hurt Oz like this? Yes, the love of his life had shattered his heart, but that didn't mean he loved the boy any less. How could he…

"Alright…" he said breathlessly after a moment, surprised and yet not that he suddenly felt no reluctance at the prospect of returning to the mansion, before turning his attention back to his cooking. Gilbert, apparently satisfied, went to sit on the sofa by the window. An awkward air settled over the pair after that, and continued throughout dinner and afterwards. Conversation was minimal, tension high, unsaid statements and unasked questions mounting as the sun sunk in the sky.

Eventually, Raven could not help but ask.

"I don't understand you…" he stated quietly, watching Gilbert turn his head away from the children playing the street below in order to give his full attention to the man, "I know you care about Oz…"_ I know you have feelings for him_, he wanted to say, but could not form the words. Judging by the embarrassed look on the kid's face, however, it seemed his silent knowledge was known to the boy. "If that's the case, then why did you go through all this trouble to bring me back? I'd have thought you'd have liked the chance to spend more time with him…"

"Of course I would like to be with him more…" Gilbert said without hesitation, but then he turned his attention back towards the window, to the slowly darkening sky, and fell silent for several minutes. Raven finished his coffee as he awaited an answer, feeling a little frustrated when his younger self failed to respond. As he moved to wash his now empty cup, however, Gilbert spoke again.

"I would love to spend more time with Master Oz… It's all I ever wanted… But…" he leaned his head gently against the window pane, smiling sadly. "But that… Is not what _Oz_ wants."

Raven stood in place, staring.

Gilbert chuckled quietly - flatly, sadly – and then turned back to Raven, "And that's all that really matters in the end, isn't it?"

**O-O-O**

In hindsight, Raven knew he had fallen for Oz many, many years ago. Before the Abyss, before even the incident with Zai Vassalius, what he had felt for the blonde had not been something a servant should feel for a master, a boy should feel for his best friend… It was not even comparable to brotherly affection. He had idolized Oz, devoted himself entirely to him… And he had fallen for him. It took Raven years of separation to finally admit to himself what he felt for the boy was not platonic. It had taken a few more years to convince himself that he deserved Oz's love, that perhaps there was a chance that they could be together. After everything he went through, maybe, just maybe he deserved it…

When the kid had shown up, Raven had become defensive, as if Oz's heart should be his alone to take. He believed no one else was good enough, that no one would ever love the young Vassalius as much as he did. He had resolved himself to fight, to make sure that he, in the end, would be the one to be with Oz.

But the kid…

Raven knew how he felt. Ten years apart may have made him a little more desperate, but his feelings were as powerful for his master as they had been when they were children. This boy loved Oz, with all his heart. Like Raven, all he cared about was Oz, he would sacrifice his very life for Oz, he felt incomplete without Oz… But…

He hadn't tried to push himself on the noble, he hadn't voiced his feelings or taken advantage of the boy's weakened emotional state over the passed few days in order to fit himself into Oz's heart. He didn't try to replace Raven, when it would have been so easy to do so, because he didn't think that was what would make his master happy.

Raven knew he would not have done the same. He would have comforted Oz, taken care of Oz, and tried to make him see that he loved him, would always love him, and that whoever had upset him was not good enough for him…

Like Raven, the brat loved Oz.

Unlike Raven, he was willing to allow his master be with someone else if it meant he would be happy.

"_When did I… Become so selfish?"_ Raven thought as he leant against the doorframe of his bedroom, watching the young boy sleep in his bed (he had fallen asleep on the sofa, but Raven, ultrasensitive to the fact the boy was possibly ill, quickly moved him to a warmer, more comfortable location). _"When did I stop thinking about what Oz wanted, and start worrying about myself?"_

He believed he could make Oz happy, but he had never thought if that was truly what the blonde wanted. He never thought that Oz could be happier with anyone but him, because no one else understood him like he did.

Except… maybe the kid.

And his sacrifice was making Raven feel like a selfish idiot.

Gilbert shivered and rolled over in his sleep, an action with coaxed Raven into the room in order to pull the covers over the boy's shoulders. He smiled slightly when Gil settled, shaking his head. Sleeping peacefully like that, it looked as if the brat didn't have a care in the world _"You're a lot tougher than I am, brat…"_

"_Tomorrow, we'll go back to the Reinsworth estate,"_ he thought as he wrapped a blanket about his shoulders and made himself comfortable on the sofa, _"And once we get there…"_

He frowned.

Once they got there…

They would have to pretend that none of this ever happened.

**O-O-O**

"Xerxes… There is no way to test this."

"There is, but if I was right, it would kill him."

"Are you going to tell them?"

"No point in doing so until I am more certain…"

"You mean until you see if there's a way to fix it? Xerxes, there is no cure for something like that."

"Always the pessimist~!"

"A realist."

"Ha… Let me indulge myself in a little bit of fantasy then, hmm?"

Liam left Break to his pursuit, certain that this particular fairy tale could hold no happy ending.

**O-O-O**

**End of Loyalty Part II**

**O-O-O**


	18. Loyalty Part III

**QUESTION:** Would you rather the story had fewer chapters, but that they were long, or more chapters that were short? (Shorter ones will get updated faster, but progress slower)

Part III is almost fully planned (There really isn't much left to the story; it makes me quite sad to think its ending!), but there's still a little moving around to be done before I get started properly ^_^ It's going to be a bit heavy, but I'm trying to get back to some of the more light-hearted scenes in between. At least I've finally outlined the ending so I'm satisfied with it... ^_^

Anyway, here's the Part III teaser piece! Some nice Oz and Raven next chapter, and maybe that Gil and Raven scene I couldn't resist writing a few weeks ago, so I hope you look forward to it! :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! ^_^ I really appreciate it!

**O-O-O**

**Loyalty - Part III**

**O-O-O**

The threads of Destiny are woven throughout time and space, gently guiding each individual down the path of the universe's desires. It was not an absolute, the will and wishes of those who walked its path often denying their predetermined fate, taking a new road, a new life, a new death.

But when the notion occurred, Destiny would not be denied.

For Oz, for Gilbert and Raven and all their friends, the future was a sea of various emotions. Different intensities, some false, some true, some locked away while others indulged upon for the sake of purging the soul.

In their future, there was hope.

_"Until I do… Will you wait for me?"_

There was laughter.

_"Aww, doesn't Gil look cute in his apron~?"_

_"M-master please!"_

There was warmth.

_"We'll figure this out… It'll be alright kid…"_

But in the future of these particular humans, there was also despair.

_"I don't… I don't even know who I am anymore!"_

There was betrayal.

_"Why didn't you tell me?!"_

And there was heartbreak_._

_"I just… I can't believe he's really…"_

The end was still unwritten.

Their lives, their hopes and dreams and very existence, all balanced precariously upon the whims and wishes of Destiny...

Destiny, who was known to be a cruel mistress indeed.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	19. Chapter 16

Sorry for the delay everyone; this is about the third re-write of the entire chapter ^_^; I changed Raven and Oz's scene for the purpose of plot… Which as a fangirl I'm disappointed with, but personally I'd prefer to sacrifice fanservice instead of plot ^_^

Anyway, thank you for reading so far everyone! And an extra special thanks to my Beta Reader! (I'm not sure if you would want your name mentioned or not, but know that I really appreciate your help! ^_^). As it is there should be about 5 or 6 more chapters in _Loyalty_, with Gilbert's condition being explained in the next chapter or two, but I'll expand on that if the plot calls for it :) I hope that you like the newest chapter!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 16**

**O-O-O**

"Raven, _please_…"

"Just do as you're told."

"But I _can't_…"

Raven raised an eyebrow at the child sitting in front of him, arms folded across his chest and eyes locked on Gilbert, pinning him to the sofa with his gaze. "We're not going back until you eat it all." The kid made a whining noise and looked back down at his half-empty plate, looking about ready to cry, and Raven sighed loudly, "Don't be such a child! You eat twice this much for breakfast back at the mansion."

"But I'm full."

"You can't be."

"I am; we had a big dinner last night!"

"No, we didn't."

"Did too…"

They both stared at one another and a spontaneous staring contest began, without any need for explanation. Whoever blinked first had to go with what the other wanted. Raven knew the kid was determined not to finish his breakfast for reasons he could only fathom (he refused to believe he was full), but the elder Nightray was adamant that the boy get a decent meal in him before the day began. A tiny goal, but one he was going to achieve, paranoid about keeping the brat's energy up after everything that had happened yesterday. And earlier that morning.

Shortly before sunrise, Raven, being a light sleeper, had heard the boy coughing quietly. He stayed on the sofa, listening, waiting for it to calm, but, in a matter of second, it sounded as if the kid was having trouble breathing with the intensity of the hacking. He threw the blanket off and darted into the room just in time to see Gil pushing the window open – probably trying to get some fresh air – and almost falling out when his body jerked forward to a second wave of coughing. Raven had caught him, lowered him to his knees before the window, and simply rubbed the kid's back until his breathing finally returned to normal.

"S-Sorry," Gil had muttered, eyes blinking blindly, clearly light-headed as he tried to take deep, slow breaths to get oxygen back in his body.

"Don't be stupid."

"Sorry…"

"Tch…"

There hadn't been any blood, thankfully, but the kid was so out of it, Raven had double checked. His hands moved over Gil's as he looked for the red liquid, but he found none. He then hooked his arms beneath the boy's, intent on helping him to his feet, but, to his surprise, Gilbert had already fallen asleep when he was sitting (if drifting off that quickly could be considered 'sleeping' and not 'unconscious'). His fingers fisted in Raven's sleeves as the elder pulled him across the room, refusing to let go even when he had been placed back in bed. A gentle tug, a little harder, harder still, and, finally, his hands were removed from Raven's clothes. The elder closed the window, returned to the sofa, and failed to fall back to sleep, listening intently for the slightest movement in the other room.

He blinked and cursed as a proud smile spread across Gil's face, scowling as the kid pushed himself to his feet and moved towards the kitchen area in order to clear his plate. He seemed fine now, humming to himself as he tossed his leftovers in the bin and washed the cutlery he'd been using. He was either an idiot, not thinking about yesterday, or he had learned, much earlier than Raven, how to put up a front.

"You got everything?" Raven asked as he stepped out into the hallway a few minutes later, carrying nothing but a small bag of food he'd bought the previous day, his wallet and his trusty pistol.

Gil blinked, "I didn't have anything."

"… Oh, yeah."

He cast a half-hearted glare at the boy as he chuckled before gesturing down the hallway to indicate he wanted Gil to go before him, the pair making their way back to Pandora in silence. Every step of the way Raven found himself staring at the boy in front of him, waiting for the slightest misstep, a quiet cough, and felt infuriated that he was suddenly so wound up about a kid he should be cursing to the ends of the earth.

"_I really have no right to think like that,"_ he thought, touching the boy's shoulder in order to halt him in place as a cart rushed by in front of them before poking him lightly in the back to get him moving again, ignoring the smile the young servant wore as he glanced in his direction. _"He did come here all on his own to get me. It was a stupid thing to do; he could have been mugged or kidnapped or…" _He stopped that train of thought with a shake of his head. _"The point is he did it. And, even if he wanted to, he's not trying to take Oz away from me..."_

He was a good kid, really. He'd never really done anything to earn the bitterness that Raven had regularly expressed towards him, and he really cared about their master. The realization of this, coming to him that morning when he had been unable to sleep, had made him feel quite guilty. Well… If the brat could do it, if he could put Oz's happiness before his own, then so could Raven. Not because he wanted to be better than the kid, but because Gilbert had opened his eyes to his own faults.

And… Well, he wasn't sure if it was out of guilt, or gratitude, or general concern for an unwell boy, but Raven felt somehow responsible for Gilbert now. He shouldn't; what the kid wanted to do with his life was none of his business, and he had sworn from the day Gil had come into their lives that he would never have anything to do with him. But he was ill, and he had been dealing with it alone for weeks out of fear of being cast aside as useless if he was discovered. He could empathize with that, and, personally, felt no one should have to go through something like that alone.

He'd be a pretty pathetic human being if he turned his back on a sick kid, so, if nothing else, he would keep an eye on him. Just to make sure he was sleeping alright, wasn't fainting around the garden, ate well…

Leaving the kid to wait for the carriage while he went and bought a few chocolate croissants from the bakery down the street had probably been unnecessary, though.

"What's this for?" Gil asked as Raven placed the bag in his hands before taking his seat directly across from the teenager, the carriage jerking into a motion a few moments later.

"For coming to get me," he said with a shrug, but, in all honesty, he hadn't had a reason. He didn't pause to wonder about that, however, because, now that they were actually on their way to the Reinsworth estate, Raven was starting to feel a little bit nervous. He'd been so preoccupied with the brat that he had momentarily forgotten about Oz. Images of their last meeting flashed through his mind, and he tilted his head downward so that Gil would not see him bite his lip.

He'd thought about what had happened over the past few days… _A lot_. But it was only after hearing the kid talk last night that Raven had made his decision. Yes, he was returning to the Reinsworth estate, and he was going to be honest to Oz about how he felt, but he was not going to force anything on the boy. The kid was right… All that mattered was what Oz wanted. He wasn't going to stand back and passively let the young blonde come to the conclusion he didn't need anyone, but he wasn't going to pressure him either. He had his mind made up, and it brought him a certain sense of calm just knowing that much.

But that didn't stop the fear of their actual reunion from weighing heavily on his mind.

A rustle of paper caught his attention, and Raven tilted his head back slightly in order to look at the young servant sitting across from him… Who just happened to be finishing one of the treats Raven had brought for him and had pulled out another. "I thought you said you were full."

Gilbert, who had been about to take his second bite, froze and stared downward, unmoving. After a few seconds, he closed his mouth and slowly raised his head to look up at Raven. "Uh…" was all he said, eyes glancing around the carriage awkwardly.

Raven scoffed. "You stupid brat."

Gilbert frowned at the name, but the elder Nightray simply chuckled and, surprising himself, pressed a hand to the boy's head, ruffling his dark locks before wordlessly tossing the bag containing his own croissants onto the kid's lap. He caught sight of Gilbert's shocked stare before he pushed his hat down over his eyes, intent on pretending to sleep for the rest of the journey.

**O-O-O**

It had been four whole days since she'd seen the Big-Seaweed-Head. He'd disappeared in the middle of the night without a word of warning, leaving nothing but a batch of half-made biscuits and a very weird Oz in his wake.

Now Little-Seaweed-Head was gone, too, and Oz had been acting even weirder. He wandered around outside on his own for the day, and, when she came to talk to him, he put on that stupid fake smile of his and pretended that nothing was wrong. Remembering something from one of her 'lessons' with Sharon a few weeks ago, the young Chain had promptly hopped over to his side and sank her teeth into his left cheek, earning a satisfactory exclamation from the boy and leaving behind a nice red mark where her teeth had been.

"A-Alice?" he had stared at her wide-eyed afterwards, face slightly tinged and the palm of his hand pressed against the wounded area, "Wh-what did you-?"

"There!" Alice had stated loudly, planting her fists on her hips and beaming proudly at him, "That book sister Sharon showed me said a depressed man would become more energetic if you bite his cheeks!"

"Bit his…?" Oz blinked dumbly at her.

"I bit your cheeks. You feel better now, right?"

Oz had stared at her for a moment, completely silent, and Alice had begun to wonder if her manservant was broken or just didn't work like the men in the books did when the young blonde had scoffed, then giggled, then broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Needless to say, Alice was not pleased.

"What are you laughing at?!" she had screamed, blushing furiously. How dare he! Was he making fun of her? After she had gone out of her way to try and cheer him up! She raised her clenched fists and tried to strike his head, but the boy held up his arms in defense. No matter, she pounded them instead, until she had him no longer laughing and instead begging for her to stop.

"Ow! Okay, okay! Sorry, Ali- Ow!"

"You're still smiling!" No one made fun of the great B-Rabbit!

"But that's just because Alice made me feel better!"

She stopped. Wait… So had he been laughing because he had more energy? … "Well, why didn't you just say that?!" she yelled, pounding his arms harder.

"Sorry!" And by then, after catching her awkward, embarrassed gaze out of the corner of his eye, he was laughing again.

Eventually they had both calmed down, although Oz's arms and head were aching for quite a while afterwards. They had sat together in the chilly evening air, staring at the sky and, as far as Alice was concerned, speaking nonsense. Sure, the slowly emerging stars were pretty, but why did everything have to be turned into a lesson? As Oz tried to point out a chain of twinkling lights that were meant to look like some sort of cart or something, she simply stated she didn't care what they were called, and asked instead why he had been acting so weird lately.

Taking the intelligent option for once, Oz hadn't even tried to deny her accusation, but what he _did_ say didn't make any sense. He said he was confused, that he and Raven had fought (it was the first Alice had heard of it) and that was why the dark-haired man had disappeared. What, that was the problem? But she and Seaweed-Head fought all the time! She even fought with Oz, and the stupid clown, and even Sharon on a rare occasion. She never felt awkward afterwards, so what was wrong with Oz and Raven?

"Then just apologize."

"It's not that easy."

"Why?"

"Well…"

"When people fight, and they're sorry, they apologize, and then everything goes back to normal. It's only complicated if idiots like you make it that way."

Oz chuckled, "I like the way you view the world, Alice."

"Huh?"

"I guess you have a point, though…"

He had gone back to his room shortly after that, and Alice hadn't seen him since, much to the rabbit's frustration. When a carriage pulled up outside the mansion at ten o'clock the following morning and both Gilbert and Raven exited it, the chain promptly dropped her late breakfast and darted directly for the door. If Raven hadn't managed to miraculously catch her ankle, both of them would have been given a swift kick to the head. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Nice way to greet someone, Stupid Rabbit," Raven frowned, effortlessly pushing her leg back and releasing her foot so that she lost her balance and landed on her backside. Gilbert reached out to help her back up, but Alice smacked his hand away. "And what does it matter to you where I've been?"

Alice growled as she pushed herself to her feet, hot on the heel of the Nightray heir that had brushed past her and entered the mansion, the pair followed closely by a rather quiet Gilbert. "Because a manservant shouldn't abandon his master!" she smirked as Raven stopped dead in his tracks; that seemed to get his attention, "You really are useless, aren't you, Seaweed Head?"

"You Stupid-!"

"Hey, Miss Alice!" Gilbert suddenly appeared by her side, speaking a little too happily and far too loudly, holding out a small brown bag, "I saved one of these for you!"

Alice narrowed her eyes at the sudden interruption, but snatched the bag from him all the same, "Don't act like such an idiot." Seriously, what was with people pretending to be happy all the time? It was so annoying. She reached in and pulled out a weird-looking piece of bread from the bag and began to sniff it suspiciously; well, it smelled good, whatever it was, but it probably would have been better warm and-

She hadn't been listening once she got hold of the treat, distracted out of curiosity, but the sound of Oz's name caught her attention and she looked up to see the pair looking at each other… Rather seriously.

"Just go and talk to him," Gilbert said with a fake smile, though Raven didn't seem to notice it as such. Alice had to admit, it was quite convincing. "He'll be happy you're back."

"I hope he's thought of a good punishment for you," Alice said as she took a bite from the croissant, continuing to speak despite the food in her mouth, "Ufeless serfants need t' be putf in dere pfrace."

Gilbert blinked at her, clearly having trouble understanding, "Uh…"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Stupid Rabbit!" Raven yelled, but Alice was enjoying the treat too much to respond. With a heavy sigh, the Nightray heir removed his hat and held it by his side, running his hand through his seaweed-hair and nodding slightly. "Alright, where's Oz?"

"His room." Alice said once she'd swallowed the last piece of the weird-shaped bread. "That was pretty good… But I'm still hungry."

"We'll go get you something, then," Gil said, glancing at Raven as he began to move towards the kitchen. Alice couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but something had definitely changed between the two Seaweed-Heads… And why did they keep looking at each other like they were hiding something? Were they? Why were they leaving her out of the loop?!

She followed the Little Seaweed Head instead of chasing after Raven, deciding he would be much more likely to tell her what was going on (plus she would probably get some food out of it), but, once she fell into step beside the boy, she was completely silent. Gilbert told her that it had taken him a while to find Raven, and it was too late to return to the mansion by then, so they had stayed the night in the city. He told her what the treat she ate was, where they could buy it, and that he would tell Oz about it so that if she wanted more the next time they were in the city, they would all know where to find it.

He was being nice to her, but that was nothing unusual. What was strange was that he never stopped smiling. At all. And Alice could feel her blood boiling because of it.

The one thing she liked about Seaweed-Head, big or little, was that he was honest about his feelings. He scowled when he was angry, smiled when he was pleased… He held back his tears when he was upset, but the emotion was always so clear on his face. She could read him. She could understand him. She didn't need books or lessons or experience to know what he was thinking and feeling just by the look on his face.

But now, as Raven made his way up the stairs to find Oz, and the younger servant moved in the direction of the kitchen in order to help Alice locate something to eat, the latter of the pair absorbed her entire attention for one solitary reason…

It was _that_… Just like Oz…

That smile on his face… Betrayed by his eyes…

It was nothing more than a mask, forced and fake and painful to hold.

Worst of all, it was dishonest. And Alice hated it.

"_Why would he be depressed?"_ she wondered as Gil turned to ask her what she wanted to eat. She wasn't especially hungry, but she would never turn down a meal, so she automatically started listing a dozen different types of foods.

"Uh, I can't cook those things… Not well, anyway. I could ask one of the chefs to, if you'd like…"

She didn't want him to be depressed... But maybe it was only temporary.

If he didn't cheer up soon, she would just have to fix it herself with a little cheek-chewing.

**O-O-O**

A gentle knock. One hard, a millisecond of hesitation, and two short raps.

It was definitely Gilbert… After waking to the exact same noise on countless mornings since he returned from the Abyss, Oz knew it well. He looked up from where he sat by the fireplace, his legs folded beneath him and right hand hovering between himself and the bright, flickering flames that danced in anticipation of the page he was about to gift to it. A page filled with the confused feelings of a teenager, searching and searching for a solution and finding none. His hand tilted and fingers released the sheet, his eyes following his thoughts as they landed on the flaming embers and instantly turned to ash, "Come in."

He took a deep breath as Raven stepped inside and closed the door after him, then moved the blank pages that had been resting on his lap to the floor, placing his pen on top before turning his head to face his servant. Prepared as he had thought himself to be, his heart still leapt at the sight of his best friend, a genuine smile breaking through the mask he had instinctively placed. "Welcome back."

"Thanks…" Raven moved across the room awkwardly, as if unsure whether he should walk or run, stopping suddenly as the young Vassalius moved to push himself to his feet and moved across the room, taking a seat on the sofa near the window and lightly petting the space next to him.

Oz could see the elder man's nervous habits as he moved, somewhat hesitantly, to take his place next to his master; the awkward clenching and releasing of his fists, the deep breath he took and held for three seconds before releasing, the way he tossed his head slightly in an attempt to removing hair from his face that was not actually bothering him… Oz chuckled lightly, "It's good to have you back." Raven kept his eyes focused on the floor and simply nodded, as if he didn't trust his own voice. Inside, the young blonde's stomach was doing back flips, his mind racing with a million thoughts at once, but, on the outside, he remained calm.

They had to talk about this… He had to make Raven understand why he had responded as he had, why things were the way they were… even if he wasn't entirely sure of how he was going to explain how he felt when he didn't fully understand it himself. Just as he inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to prepare himself, however, Raven spoke.

"I don't regret it," he stated simply, his voice quiet, reserved, unreadable (which, in itself, was unusual for Gil). Oz paused for a moment, surprised both by his words and the very fact that his servant had chosen to address the problem so directly. He had thought Raven would have needed some coaxing…

"I know it was wrong," Raven continued, his arms coming to rest on his knees, his hands grasping one another hard in front of him, "I should never have put you in that situation. It wasn't fair and, for that, I am sorry." He fell silent for a moment, before he chuckled quietly, "But… I don't regret what I feel."

Oz felt his body tense. This was…

"I shouldn't have left like I did. It was selfish and foolish, but… it did give me some time to think and clear a few things up. I know now that… Well, I don't want you to feel obligated as my master, or my friend, to do things and feel things that aren't there."

This wasn't what Oz had planned… Well, he hadn't really thought of how their reunion was going to play out, but this scenario had never crossed his mind. He was supposed to be the one to direct the conversation, he was supposed to be the one telling the man how he felt, and how he still needed time to think, but that he still cared about Raven no matter what. He could still say those things… but his words were trapped behind the lump in his throat.

And what Raven was saying…

"Oz…"

The tone in his voice caused the young noble's heart to skip a beat. Was… was Raven…?

"I really do care about you…"

Was he pushing him away? But… that was good, wasn't it? It was better, wasn't it? If Raven pushed him away… If they weren't… _"But I don't want that."_

"And I want you to be happy, no matter what."

"_Don't go…"_

"I'm sorry that I ran away like I did…"

"_Don't leave…"_

"…but it will never happen again…"

"_I love…"_

"I promise."

"_He's doesn't know that I love…"_

"That's…" Raven's hands released one another, coming to rest on the man's knees, "all I really wanted to say." He moved. He was leaving.

But he had to know. Oz had to- but he couldn't- the words weren't coming and Raven was-

Raven moved his hands to press against the cushioned surface beside him (_"Don't…"_), intent on pushing himself to his feet (_"Don't-!"_).

But as he did, the young boy next to him shifted suddenly.

Oz's hand reached out, across, pressing his palm against the opposite side of Raven's head. He pulled and Raven fumbled, throwing a hand out for leverage, surprised to be thrown off balance.

But all motion ceased when Oz's lips placed a kiss on the elder man's cheek, gentle despite the haste with which it was acted.

The world had never before seemed so still and silent than it did that very moment.

Raven breathed the young noble's name as the boy slowly released him and pulled away, the faintest tinge of red on his pale cheeks and his emerald eyes blinking almost fearfully up at the dark-haired man before him. Swallowing hard, Oz whispered, "I'm… I shouldn't have done that…" He instantly saw the hurt in Raven's eyes, and quickly moved the hand that had fallen from his servant's face to wrap around the Nightray's right wrist. "Not because I didn't want to… but…"

He hadn't been thinking. He hadn't even been aware of what he was doing, his mind a mixture of pleasure, fear, and a combination of disappointment and relief that he had not kissed his servant on the lips. But… he shouldn't have done that… If Raven wanted to be with him, he had just given him another reason to think they would eventually be together. But Oz hadn't… he didn't even know… "I'm sorry… I just …" he took a deep breath and steadied his nerves somewhat, applying his usual calm façade in an attempt to coordinate his thoughts and feelings. Raven, who had remained frozen in the position Oz had pulled him into, straightened up and gave his master his full attention. "Gil, I do know how I feel about… this." He couldn't stop his eyes from glancing away from Raven's awkwardly, his hand tightening slightly around the man's wrist, "But I don't know how to respond."

Silence. Painful silence. Then Raven asked, "Is it because there are two of us?"

Oz hadn't expected that; Raven barely acknowledged the existence of his younger self if he could help it. The blonde frowned and lowered his head shamefully, mentally cursing himself for allowing things to become so complicated. So Raven understood where the problem was… That certainly lifted the pressure of explaining his predicament, but Raven seemed to really dislike Gil... This was just going to make things worse, wasn't it?

He had to stop this… All this second guessing and doubt, stalling because he didn't want to make a choice. He nodded lightly and raised his gaze to golden irises. "Gil… I just want to do the right thing and, at the moment, I don't know what that is." Raven's expression gave nothing away, attentive but motionless. Oz felt his confidence falter for a moment, blood rushing through his veins and heart pounding hard, but he continued regardless. "I just need more time, to find the answer… And… Until I do…" Could he? Would he? Would he even want to?

Raven's left hand came to rest over Oz's, which was still holding his wrist. The boy hadn't noticed his hand had been shaking until then, and blinked when Raven smiled down at him, reassuring, encouraging. Oz returned the gesture, though nervously.

"… will you wait for me?" he asked quietly, embarrassed the moment the words had left his mouth, but, without hesitation, Raven nodded.

"Of course," he said just as quietly, removing his hand from Oz's to place it on the blonde's head, "I understand, Oz… And no matter what you decide, I'll stand by you."

"Really?" he hadn't meant to speak, but the word escaped him, regardless. How was Raven so… calm about all this? He'd disappeared for days because Oz had as good as turned him down, but now, when he was effectively telling the man he might choose to be with someone else, he was… surprisingly understanding.

In response, Raven chuckled and slid his hand from Oz's grip in order to wrap both arms around the teen's torso, almost lifting Oz off the sofa as he pulled the boy into a hug, resting his chin on the blonde's shoulder. "Really," he whispered in his master's ear, who was thankful his servant couldn't see how brightly his face was burning as a result of the close contact, "Just do whatever makes you happy."

Oz was normally very sensitive to lies… which was why he was surprised to find no falsity in his servant's words. So… he really didn't mind? After everything he'd said, and done, and after he'd kissed him? It was just on the cheek, but he still- and he was- and this was-

Raven's hold tightened around him, "Stop worrying."

"… Sorry…" Slowly, unsure, Oz lifted one of his legs off the floor to kneel on the sofa cushion in order to make his position more comfortable while simultaneously raising his arms to wrap around Raven's shoulders, bringing his own head to rest against his servant's and allowing his eyes to slide closed. Gil was right… He had to stop worrying so much… Things would work out; the answers would become clear. He had his servant back, and he understood, and he accepted everything, and he was so warm… "Thanks, Gil…"

There was no need for further words.

They simply held one another.

And when the time came for them to leave, to find their comrades, to begin the journey between the present and the time when Oz would truly make his choice between his two servants, they did so silently.

As he walked slowly behind his young master, Raven reached up and lightly touched his gloved fingertips against his cheek; the sensation of Oz's lips on his skin, though brief, still lingered, and probably would as long as the memory continued to replay itself in his mind. He smiled warmly when the boy glanced back in his direction; as he watched those beautiful emerald pools take him in, shining brightly as the young noble laughed before he spun and darted down the corridor and suddenly challenged the elder man to a race, Raven felt his heart flutter.

He understood now… What the kid had meant… That look, that smile, that aura and light that was the embodiment of life itself; it was worth any price in the world to see Oz happy. Anything.

He prayed that he would be the one who could provide the boy with everything he would ever want or need. He still had a chance, something he had thought lost after their fight several days previously. But… if he wasn't, though it would undoubtedly hurt, he still had his master's laugh, his smile, his joy… And he had his love, whether it was romantic or not, which, until just a few moments ago, he had feared wasn't there.

"Come on, Gil; you're getting slow in your old age!"

He hadn't thought it was possible… to love Oz any more than he already did… But the boys sincerity, his concern, his honest confusion and desire to protect, all displayed for Raven and Raven alone mere minutes previously… Well, it just reminded him how strongly he felt. Oz wanted to be right by everyone, which Raven knew was impossible, but just knowing that the boy was doing all he could to reach that goal gave Raven the strength to accept his master's wish, to enforce his own decision, and to let the young noble decide what was best for himself.

He watched as Oz stopped outside the dining hall, only to have a rather red-faced Gilbert appear in front of him seconds later, holding his cheek with one hand and animatedly gesturing towards Alice, who had followed him into the corridor with the other. Oz looked between the pair for a moment, trying to decipher what both were saying to him at once, before he started laughing loudly at them. Alice and Gil fell silent, gawping at Oz's reaction, before they began to speak enthusiastically over each other again.

Things would have been very different if that boy hadn't appeared in their world all those weeks ago… But if he hadn't, then Raven would not have seen this side of Oz. He would have remained in a static position, refusing to express his feelings to his master and possibly never knowing how the boy felt about the relationship between them.

"Gil, what's with that face? Stop looking at me like that and thank Alice for biting you~!"

"Thank her? Why? She-!"

"_Giiiiiil_…"

"… Thank you, Miss Alice."

"Don't say it if you don't mean it, Stupid Seaweed Head!"

"Ow!"

"Next time, I won't bite your cheeks!"

Oz laughed while Alice struck Gilbert's head with her fist, and the young servant simply held his skull and stared between the chain and contractor in utter confusion. Raven could not help but chuckle at the look on the boy's face, finally reaching the group and quirking an eyebrow in Oz's direction. "Biting?"

The blonde grinned, "It's a new thing~"

"I hear throwing water at them stops pets from doing that."

"Don't you _dare_ throw water at me, Seaweed-Head! And I'm not your pet!"

Oz stepped away when Alice launched herself at Raven, the dark-haired Nightray back-stepping quickly but failing to dodge the chain's attack entirely, receiving a hard-toed boot to his shin. He cursed and, in a very Gil-like fashion, forgot all his training and composure and promptly charged at Alice, who was acting in a rather _un_like Alice way and spun on her heel, running into the dining room. The Vassalius watched as Gil, who had been standing aside simply rubbing his still-stinging face, stared wide-eyed at the pair for a few moments before raising a hand to try and hide the smile spreading across his face. One glance in Oz's direction, however, broke his resolve, and he started giggling at the chain and noble racing in circles around the room, yelling insults at one another and growing louder and more frustrated the longer they ran.

There wasn't even the slightest hint of awkwardness amongst the four of them, even after Sharon had entered the room and quickly subdued the group with one of her sweet, dangerous smiles and a quiet comment about ruffian behavior. There wasn't any discomfort at dinner or when Raven ordered Gilbert outside for some target practice (which Oz had been shocked by; Raven never actually _offered_ to teach Gilbert before), and, that evening, everyone had settled in the dining room and just talked until the late hours. When Alice had fallen asleep on the floor, they took it as a sign to go to bed, and Raven was ordered to carry Alice back to her room ("But _Giiiiil,_ we can't carry her; we're just two weak little boys~").

"Hey, Gil?" Oz turned to his younger servant when Raven disappeared into Alice's room, cursing loudly when the chain punched upward in her sleep and caught his chin. Gilbert stopped in his movement towards his own room and faced Oz with a questioning look. The blonde noble smiled, "Thanks for bringing him back."

Gil smiled, "No problem; I didn't really do much…"

"Yes," Oz said, "you did. So thank you."

He grinned as Gilbert glanced away awkwardly, embarrassed, before Raven reappeared in the hallway. Oz watched closely as the pair's eyes met, watching for that hint of hostility that sometimes appeared, and was relieved to find that there was none. A little defiance on Raven's side when Gil smiled at him, but nothing else.

And after the trio had spoken for a few more minutes and then wished each other goodnight, Oz had heard, once he had closed his own door, Raven specifically turn to Gilbert and say, "Get some sleep, Brat."

"I'm not a kid, you know."

"Could have fooled me."

"_Goodnight,_ Raven…"

"'Night, Brat."

"Ugh…"

Oz smiled; he didn't know what had happened when Gilbert had gone to see his elder servant, but the results were certainly good. They weren't simply tolerating each other now; they were actually communicating, and not in a negative sense. As Oz quietly changed into his nightclothes and slipped under the blanket, certain his mind would instantly begin to race with thoughts of his servants the moment his head hit the pillow, he was comforted by the simple fact that at least the two people he cared about the most could get along.

Today had been a great day, overall. He still had the same problems he had been facing for days. He still had to find a way to choose between his two servants. He still had to potentially hurt one to be with the other. But… those problems did not weigh so heavily on his mind right now.

He pulled his blanket over his shoulders and curled within the warm fabric, a smile on his tired face as he thought that maybe… just maybe… everything really would be alright in the end.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	20. Chapter 17

Sorry for the delay everyone; my computer crashed and I lost what I had already written ^_^; I needed to set things up before I reveal what's happening to Gil, so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter filled with all the corn and fluff I just can't resist when given the chance to put it in ^_^

Once again, a huge thank you to my amazing Beta-Reader! I really appreciate what you've done for me, and I really hope that you feel better very soon! ^_^ If not, I will be forced to try and cure you with the power of over-the-top fluffy Ozbert fanfiction... or something :)

Also, thank you for reading so far everyone! I'm really glad that people seem to be enjoying the story so far ^_^ Just a few more chapters left, so I hope you enjoy _Loyalty_ 17! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 17**

**O-O-O**

"Gil? _Giiiil_? Hey!"

"Can he even hear you?"

Oz hadn't known it was possible to sleep sitting up, at least, not without something to lean against like the back or arm of a chair. He tilted his body forward so that he could look into Gil's face, wondering if the boy was just resting his eyes or had really fallen asleep at the table, arms hanging by his sides limply and body swaying back and forth slightly. He was about to call Gil's name when the boy tilted a little too far forward and, before Oz could reach out and stop him, fell and slammed his forehead hard against the breakfast table. "Ah! Gil, are you ok?"

Against the blonde's expectation, Gilbert didn't quickly jolt awake and look around in confusion, incessantly apologizing for falling asleep while rubbing his aching head. Instead, he simply groaned loudly, remaining motionless.

Raven, who was sitting across from Gil and Oz with his attention focused on the newspaper in his hands, frowned and reached forward to prod the top of the boy's head with the edge of his fork. This earned a quiet, annoyed grunt before Gil turned his head in Oz's direction and forced his heavy eyes open, blinking slowly at him and making a questioning noise.

"What's wrong with you?" the blonde asked.

Gil took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes again, "Tired…"

"Well, I _know_ that," Oz rolled his eyes, "What I mean is why?" He frowned when Gil made a vague noise that he assumed was supposed to say 'I don't know.' He cast a questioning glance in Raven's direction, but the elder man simply shrugged and shook his head, clueless. Oz pushed the boy's dark hair off his face and placed his hand against his forehead. He wasn't burning up or anything, but the simple touch seemed to catch the young Nightray's attention because his eyes flickered open and stared at Oz for a moment. Realization slowly dawned on his face and, with a soft groan, his arms rose up to push himself back into a sitting position.

"Sorry…" he said quietly, rubbing a hand over his face and struggling to restrain a yawn, "I didn't get much sleep last night…"

"And why's that?" Raven asked, his tone disapproving as he took a few small bites of breakfast before turning his attention back to the young servant before him.

Gil visibly shuddered and shook his head, burying his hand in his hair and staring forward sleepily, "I thought… There was a…"

"Was a…?" the young Vassalius asked. He was a little worried, more so when Gilbert swallowed hard and glanced in his direction with a somewhat subdued and uncomfortable expression on his face. Why? What was he upset about? Was there something wrong with-

"A cat."

Raven broke into a hacking cough as he almost choked on his food.

"… Ah, Gil!" Oz slapped his forehead, "Is that all?"

Gilbert straightened up quickly, suddenly awake, "But I thought it was outside my window!"

"You're on the second floor, how could there possibly be a cat there?"

"I don't know…"

Oz sighed loudly and shook his head. Stupid Gilbert! Making him worry that something might be wrong with him… "Well, if you're tired, then go back to bed." He said simply, watching Raven beat his chest over and over for a few seconds before helpfully pointing towards the cup of coffee by the man's plate, which he quickly snatched up and drank from. Seriously… Gil really had to get over his fear of cats. He was a full-grown man, after all, and, though it was funny to shove him in the direction of every single stray they came across just to see the look on his face, it was still a problem. Raven sighed once he could breath easily again and glared in Gilbert's direction, obviously annoyed that the dark-haired teen had thought to mention the bane of his existence and bring him within an inch of his life as a result.

"No, it's ok." Gil suddenly stated after a brief period of silence.

"Huh?" Oz had to pause to try and remember what Gilbert was referring to; he had taken his sweet time answering, hadn't he?

"I'm not that tired."

Oz scoffed. "Yes, you are, and you were tired yesterday, too," he said as he leaned back in his seat to allow the maids serving that morning place his and Gil's plates in front of them before refilling Raven's coffee and retreating quietly (as usual he had been up before them, so he had been served first). Oz narrowed his eyes as he watched Gilbert quickly take a slice of toast and bite into it, clearly trying to avoid speaking to his master. Well, Oz was having none of it. "Gil, what's going on?" he asked sternly, watching the boy tense slightly.

Gil swallowed quickly and looked over in Oz's direction, "N-nothing, Young Master; I just don't want to go back to bed."

"Why?"

He shuffled awkwardly, then shrugged, "It just seems like a waste of a day, and I've too much to do."

"Too much to do?" Oz tilted his head in question, a small smile pulling on his lips when he saw the boy's eyes flit back and forth as he tried to come up with a way to back up his former statement. He muttered something about training and cleaning, and repairing a tear in one of his shirts, but Oz simply stated that he had no training schedule and that the maids took care of the house and attire of the nobles and guests within. Finally, he sighed heavily, and muttered that 'it' might still be there. "It?" Oz asked, "Do you mean the cat?" Raven muttered a quiet 'Don't say its name…' as Gilbert nodded and took another bite of toast. The young blonde groaned, "Gil! I told you it couldn't have been outside your window! Where would it even come from, anyway?"

"I'll sleep tonight, Young Master," Gil said quietly, "It'll be gone by then…"

Oz grumbled in annoyance, but decided to let the matter slide, even though, as Gil's eyes started drooping once again, there was silence between them. He just didn't get it… What was wrong with Gilbert? Though, he had no doubt that the thought alone of a cat sitting anywhere near him while he slept could cause an entire week of restless nights for the boy (it had happened before), Oz just couldn't quite accept that excuse. _"Is he lying to me? About what? And why?"_ he wondered, reaching out and smacking the teen's forehead when his head started bobbing slightly.

"I'm not tired."

"Of course, you're not."

"Sorry…" Gilbert said, looking around the room as the young blonde made a vague comment about visiting his servant's room before going to bed and assuring him there were no magical flying cats floating around outside his window. "Where are Miss Alice and Miss Sharon?" he asked after a moment, as if only then realizing the absence of the two female members of their group.

"Oh, Sharon's seamstress arrived early this morning in order to start work on a new dress, and she decided that Alice needed one, as well," Oz explained with a chuckle, remembering the look on poor Alice's face when Sharon had quickly switched into 'girl mode' and grabbed the young chain by the wrist firmly, leading her to the west wing without leaving any room for complaint. "And, though you didn't ask, Break is _still_ at Pandora. I wonder what he's up to; he's been there a lot these last few days," he looked towards Raven, "He sent you a message earlier, didn't he?"

Gilbert tensed when the elder man nodded, "About what?"

"Nothing really," Raven shrugged, "He was just forwarding a message about the string of strange murders in Fantome, saying that Pandora have started looking into it. If they think chains are involved, Break is supposed to check it out…"

"Which means he'll probably be sending his 'underlings' on a new mission any day now," Oz said with a chuckle, but frowned when Gilbert suddenly seemed to have lost interest in the conversation again, answering with nothing but a disinterested 'I see…' _"Geez, if he really hates missions that much, he doesn't have to come,"_ Oz thought.

Although, considering the last mission they had gone on almost resulted in Gil being turned into a crazy clown-doll's breakfast, he could understand the boy's discomfort. He and Raven finished their food in a matter of minutes, the elder Nightray returning to his newspaper while Oz silently watched Gilbert struggle to get through a single slice of toast before giving up and tossing the half-eaten crust back on the plate. As the young servant rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes, Oz vaguely wondered if ordering Gilbert to go back to bed would even work when the boy was being so stubborn.

"Hey, Raven? Can I have some of that?"

Oz watched as said contractor pinched the edges of his newspaper to fold the top half over and clear his vision, following Gil's line of sight directly to his coffee cup. _"Well, this should be interesting,"_ Oz thought with a small smile, leaning his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his right palm, eyes flicking back and forth between his two servants as they spoke.

"You don't drink coffee," Raven said flatly.

Gilbert frowned tiredly, "How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Maybe I like coffee."

"I'm sure you would," Raven flicked the newspaper back in front of his face, "if you'd ever tasted it before. What do you need it for?"

"I just want to try it."

"More like you don't want to sleep."

"So?"

"So, no."

Gilbert grumbled, eyes narrowing into a half-hearted scowl, and Oz could not help but chuckle at the boy's expression; it seemed Gilbert was a poor sport when tired! Before he could comment on this, however, Gil had placed his hands on the edge of the table and pushed himself to his feet. Oz watched as the young servant walked silently around the table and, completely ignoring how Raven reached down and held the handle of his cup to prevent the boy from stealing it, plucked the man's hat from where it rested on the chair next to Raven and continued walking.

"H-hey!" Raven stuttered once he realized what Gil had taken, turning in his seat to watch the young Nightray heading towards the door, "Give that back!" When he didn't respond, Raven quickly rose and followed. He reached out to grab the boy's shoulder just as his foot touched the threshold of the door, intent on pulling him back and snatching his hat from the teen's hands, but, just as he tugged on him, Gil flicked his wrist and sent the item spinning a short distance down the hallway like a throwing disk. "Hey!"

Oz watched as Raven pushed past Gil and moved quickly to retrieve his hat as if the younger servant had just tossed a puppy rather than an inanimate object. Gil, meanwhile, walked silently back to the table, picked up Raven's coffee cup, and drank the majority of the beverage in a single gulp.

Which was followed by a loud gagging noise and the most disgusted expression Oz had ever seen his friend pull.

"Ugh!" Gil stuck out his tongue in distaste and near-slammed the cup back on the table. "That's disgusting!"

"I told you!" Raven yelled as he re-entered the room with his hat held to his chest, trying to ignore the blonde noble that had begun to laugh as a result of Gil's reaction, "Black coffee's way too strong for you and… Hey! Why did you even need mine? You could have asked the maids for some!"

Gil paused and stared at Raven silently for a moment, before muttering, "Oh, yeah…"

This, and the bickering that ensued, only caused Oz to laugh harder, something that was made worse when a rather flustered Alice charged through the door in the most un-Alice-like gown he had ever seen; pale pink with floral patterns, silk and lace, and undone in a number of places. Half-threaded ribbons were hanging from the chains matted hair on the left side of her head while a large bow contained a single bundle of neat plaits together on the right. It looked as though someone had tried and failed to apply make-up to the young chain, too.

"Oz! Sharon has gone crazy! You have to…" she paused when the noble bent over, clutching his stomach as he continued to laugh loudly. She glanced towards Raven and Gilbert, hoping to get some sort of hint as to what the boy found so funny, but the poor attempt by both of them to restrain their own grins told her everything. "Wh-what?!" she screamed when Gilbert sidestepped behind Raven with a hand pressed to his mouth, failing to conceal the fact he was giggling.

Raven coughed awkwardly and looked at Alice with a knowing smirk, an unfamiliar twinkle in his golden irises, "Well, you're looking lovely today."

Alice blushed when she saw Gilbert and Oz both laugh harder at this, Raven also chuckling quietly. She growled and stomped forward to snatch an apple from the fruit bowl situated at the end of the table, hurling it full-force at Raven's head. Distracted by his own stupid sniggering, it struck him right in the center of his forehead. "Shut up!"

Raven grimaced and pressed a hand to red mark the fruit had left behind, but, to Alice's dismay, the look of pain was quickly replaced with a smirk, "You shouldn't do that; you might damage that _lovely_ dress of yours."

"I'll kill you!"

"That sounds like an empty threat when you're dressed like that."

"GYAH!" Alice shrieked, reaching one hand behind to tug on the half-done-up threads holding the dress in place, the other tugging hard on the neckline and succeeding in pulling it down a few inches.

Gilbert squeaked and covered his eyes with his hands, while Oz turned his head away and simply sighed, "Ah… Not again…"

"Keep your clothes on, Stupid Rabbit!"

"No! I can't kill you painfully enough with them on!"

All three males tried desperately to discourage the rabbit chain from continuing without looking at her, Raven grabbing his coat and holding it out in front of him in an attempt to wrap the girl in it if she came anywhere near him. Thankfully, Sharon appeared on the scene before anything too drastic could happen, but the three of them all ended up with a harsh red mark on their faces from Sharon's fan, regardless. Something about being indecent and provoking Alice into sordid acts… They had forgotten by the time the heiress and chain had left, because, as they did, Sharon promised Alice that the next dress-fitting session would go much smoother.

"More like it will go well, _or else_," Oz said, chuckling despite the pity he felt for Alice at that moment.

Gilbert sighed heavily and dropped back into his seat, "I think I need more coffee."

"Addicted already?" Oz grinned.

"No," Gil frowned with a shake of his head.

Raven scoffed, "Most definitely, actually..."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oops…"

"Ha! Gil has no willpower~!"

"Sh-shut up!"

**O-O-O**

"Hey, Gil… Is he ok?"

Raven paused in his task of, once again, cleaning his gun (they hadn't been used for anything other than practice for weeks, but he was always very particular about being prepared) to look up at his master with a questioning gaze. In response, Oz simply nodded in the direction of the door that the brat had exited through a few minutes ago in order to 'get some fresh air.' "The kid?" he asked, "Why wouldn't he be?"

"Well, considering he's been falling asleep against every available surface all day…" Oz trailed off when Raven shook his head, telling him that Gil had already explained why he was tired. "I just get the feeling there's something going on that he's not telling me," the young noble said, looking towards the door and then back at Raven again, "Did something happen when you were both in Lebleux?"

"Not really; we just talked," Raven said with a shrug, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, "It's probably just a phase. He's still growing, after all."

"… Right."

Raven flinched inwardly at Oz's abrupt tone, knowing he had been caught out. Honestly, he didn't know why he bothered; Oz was very perceptive when it came to lies. _"But I can't tell him; the kid would never forgive me." _He sighed and placed his gun on the table. He wanted to put Oz's mind at ease, but there was no way he could do so without revealing that there was something going on… So he decided to play Oz's game, to fane ignorance even though he knew his master could read him like a book and simply said, "I'll make sure he gets some sleep tonight, if that's what's bothering you." He narrowed his eyes, "I'll shoot the little demon, if I have to."

Oz was taken aback for a moment before he realized that Raven had been referring to the cat that was apparently floating around outside Gil's window at night and not the servant himself. With a smile, he pet the man's arm lightly and said, "Well, don't do that; just come and get me or something so that both of you can get some sleep."

Raven's smile was amused, "That's uncharacteristically kind of you."

"Ah! I'm always kind!" Oz pouted, though the sudden desire to sneak the feline, if it existed, into Raven's room said otherwise. He quickly changed to subject when Gilbert re-entered the room, however, asking Raven if he could borrow his guns for practice sometime and challenging Gil to a duel to the death when he learned how to handle them.

"_I know something happened,"_ he thought as he watched Gil's face fall in horror as the image of fighting his master entered his mind, _"But I guess it's just not my place to know… I'm sure he'll tell me when he's ready." _He was certainly going to lose some sleep thinking about it, though; ever since his servants had returned two days previously, things had been different between them. Not that he was complaining; they seemed to have come to a sort of understanding and were now able to talk to each other without any tension in the air, but… The change had been so sudden Oz wondered what could have happened to make them so comfortable in one another's company. How had Gil convinced Raven to come home? What had he said? Did that have something to do with the change in the air between them, or had something else happened?

"_I'm thinking too much,"_ he decided, _"He'll tell me; I'm sure he will. I just have to be patient…"_ At least for a few days, then he could consider his patience quota filled and start threatening them with cats and peppers and surprise pranks at every corner until they told him what was going on. Sounded like a fair arrangement.

Raven watched silently as Oz and Gilbert talked, the former teasing his servant about being short despite the fact the boy was almost the same height as him. In truth, Gil's condition throughout the last two days had worried him; he had just seemed a little drained the previous day, but now his physical exhaustion was clear on his face and in his actions. Which was why, when the rest of the Reinsworth estate had fallen silent in slumber, Raven left his room and made his way towards Gil's, stopping to check that Oz was resting peacefully along the way.

Satisfied once he had pulled the blonde's blanket up over his shoulders and dared to allow himself a minute of silent observation, Raven closed the door to Oz's room quietly and moved to the brat's door. He turned the handle slowly, having made note of the fact that it squeaked loudly when turned too quickly, and peeked his head inside.

Well, he hadn't really known what to expect when he opened the door, but seeing Gil sitting on the windowsill rubbing a cold, wet clothe over his face at two in the morning certainly wasn't it.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, causing the teen to yelp and drop the cloth on the floor, instantly moving his hands up to cover his mouth as his attention shifted from the darkness outside to Raven. The dark-haired man slipped silently into the room and closed the door behind him, stopping half-way across the room when he reached the end of the bed. Gil hadn't moved or said a word, and his eyes had falling to the floor in contemplation. "Kid, are you…?" he looked down at the cloth in confusion… Then noted exactly where Gil was sitting. By the window? But hadn't he been afraid that…?

Raven tensed slightly as his mind began to make sense of the situation. "There was… nothing outside the window, was there?" he avoided saying the 'C' word, but even the vague reference to those horrendous, furry demons caused both Raven and Gilbert to shudder, the latter of which shook his head in response to the question, saying that he thought Oz would believe him if he said he'd lost sleep because of… one of those things. A good idea, but did that mean that…? "Kid… Have you slept at all for the past two nights?" Raven asked quietly, raising a hand before Gilbert could speak, "And don't even bother lying to me."

Gilbert closed his mouth and simply stared at Raven for a moment, as if debating whether or not he could find a way to lie to his elder self, but eventually he hung his head and quietly murmured, "Not really…"

"Why?" the elder Nightray asked with a frown, but the only response the young servant gave with a small shrug, refusing to raise his gaze to meet Raven's. That alone told the dark-haired man that the boy was definitely not losing sleep against his will; he was staying up and purposefully avoiding going to sleep, and it didn't take Raven long to figure out why. _"I guess it's understandable he would be afraid, given the circumstances."_ As he looked at Gil now, the dark circles under his eyes far more prominent in the lamplight, his frame shivering so slightly that, had the elder man not being concentrating, he wouldn't have noticed. Raven felt a gentle wave of concern wash over him. With a sigh, he walked around the bed and stood at the side closest to the teen, folded his arms and said, "Alright, then; get over here."

"Huh?" Gil's head jerked up slightly, but he made no move to leave the windowsill. After a few moments of silence and Raven's continuous staring, however, Gil felt sufficiently uncomfortable enough to push himself from the sill and make his way across the room until he was standing in front of the man, though he kept his eyes locked on the floor. Raven raised his hand and Gil instinctively flinched, as if expecting to be struck, but, instead, the contractor's hand came down to rest on his head and… stayed there. Gilbert remained frozen for a moment, waiting for some sort of catch, for Raven to tug his hair or scold him, but, when nothing happened, he allowed himself to slowly raise his head and look up into the elder Nightray's face. His expression was unreadable, watching Gil quietly, and the young servant suddenly felt far smaller than he ever had before beneath that steady gaze.

"I'll stay with you tonight," Raven said, petting Gil's head lightly before sidestepping and touching the boy's shoulder gently, edging him towards the bed, "so, get some sleep."

"What? N-no, it's fine…" Gil stuttered, "I'll sleep; you don't have to-"

With one not-so-gentle shove, Gilbert was thrown onto the bed, Raven moving to the wall a little right of the bed and lifting one of the small armchairs off the ground so as not to make too much noise. By the time the boy had rolled over and pushed himself into a sitting position on the edge of bed, Raven had placed the chair down beside him and was moving around to take a seat. When Gil began to protest, to tell Raven he would sleep, that he didn't need to stay, the elder simply held up a hand to silence him. "Don't worry about it; I want to."

"But…" Gilbert frowned, "You need to sleep, too…" In truth, upon the suggestion, Gilbert found that he wanted nothing more than to have Raven stay with him, and so, when the elder man simply waved off the boy's comment with a claim that he could sleep anywhere, a ripple of relief spread through him. It was almost immediately followed by a sense of guilt, however. "Sorry about this…"

"Don't apologize," Raven shuffled slightly in the chair in order to make himself comfortable, grabbing the book resting on Gil's bedside cupboard and flipping open the first pages, "It's much better this way. I'd rather keep an eye on you in case something happened; the last thing we need is for Oz or the stupid rabbit to find out."

Gilbert lifted his legs off the floor and twisted so that he was sitting on the bed. "Still… Sorry…" he muttered. He hated to be a burden like this... In truth, other than being exhausted, he felt no worse than he had during the weeks no one had known anything was wrong with him. Just sitting near Raven seemed to make him feel a little better, but that was not why he was willing to sleep now that the man was with him…

Before, he had been unwell, but, since it was just his own secret, it didn't seem like a big problem. Now, though, with Raven and Break in the know, and with both of them so eager to help him hide it… He really felt he had something to worry about.

And it terrified him.

Terrified him so much that he didn't even want to go to sleep on his own anymore. Overall, he knew it would cause more harm than good to fall asleep in the middle of dinner, or outside when they were training or playing, but at least then there was someone around to keep an eye on him. He didn't want to sleep alone in case something went wrong. In case… he didn't wake up again.

A gentle tug on the blanket from Raven caused him to snap out of his thoughts and shuffle to the top of the bed, where the man pulled back the blanket and tossed it over the boy's knees. "At least keep warm; I'm not bedsitting you if you catch a cold or something."

Gilbert blinked and nodded, shuffling further under the covers, "Thanks."

Raven nodded and turned his attention back to the book in his hands, "Just get some sleep, Brat; we'll figure out what to do about all this in the morning."

"Right…" Gil nodded, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders and settling down, instantly feeling his body drain of what little energy he had been using to keep himself awake. However, there was a tiny twist of irritation in his stomach, one that alighted almost every time that he spoke to his elder self and was now bothering his tired mind more than it usually did. Too tired to worry about annoying Raven by speaking up, he yawned loudly and then sighed, "Hey… Raven?"

Raven grunted in response.

"Do you think you could stop calling me that?"

"Calling you what?"

"You know… you always call me 'Brat…'"

Raven's finger stopped its journey across the sentence the young man had been reading, appearing to pause in order to acknowledge what Gil said before glancing sideways and quirking a skeptical eyebrow at the boy. "I'm not calling you 'Gilbert,' if that's what you want," he said flatly.

Gil frowned, "It's not that bad; it's not like you've never met another 'Gilbert' in your life, is it?"

"I haven't, actually." The man said matter-of-factly.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You made it sound like an achievement…" Gilbert rolled onto his side and slid an arm under his pillow to offer his head more support, watching Raven flick through a few more pages before closing the book and tossing it back on the bedside table, "Please, Raven… The 'brat' thing is just…"

"What, you want a nickname?" Raven made a face at the mere thought.

A look that Gilbert mirrored almost perfectly, "Not if you say it like that…" Just the word 'nickname' seemed so _childish_! … Although, if it wasn't some sort of nickname, then what _was_ Gil looking for, exactly? _"Is that what I want? A… A nickname?"_ he felt his face warm at the thought, _"Maybe it is, though…"_

Raven was fortunate enough to have a second name that he responded to just as well as his real one, so there was no need for Gilbert to feel awkward or uncomfortable when he spoke to the man. The young servant didn't have that same luxury, but it never really bothered him until recently, and only in relation to his elder self. Being called 'kid' and 'brat' all the time was not only annoying, but it also seemed like another barrier between Raven and himself... And he really liked to think that, slowly but surely, they were becoming friends, and that maybe… "Just… anything but 'brat' or 'kid,'" he said quietly.

"Pest."

Gilbert blinked and then narrowed his eyes, frustrated by the fact the man seemed completely serious, "That's not what I meant."

"Twerp."

"Rav-"

"Squirt, kiddo, pipsqueak-"

"I'm not that short!" Gilbert yelled despite himself, grumbling when he noticed the slightest twitch in the man's mouth; he was playing with him!

"Oh," Raven suddenly said in an overemphasized tone, "you mean real names?"

There was no point in arguing with him since he was obviously just trying to agitate him, so Gilbert simply sighed and said, "I don't know…"

"Then how about 'Francis?'"

Where had that come from? "No."

"Cecil."

"No."

"Frederic."

"No."

"Julian."

"_I think I'm starting to prefer 'brat,'"_ Gilbert thought. "Do I look like a Julian?"

"Well…" Raven leaned against the backrest and slowly slid down into an awkward but somehow far-more-comfortable position, seemingly unable to come up with a proper response as he fell completely silent after that. The smile threatening to surface slowly melted away, and Gilbert found himself a bit disappointed that the little game had ended so soon, even if he was the one being teased.

"Just forget about it," Gilbert said with another small yawn, allowing his eyes to slide closed as he gripped the blanket and pulled it up under his chin to hold in as much warmth as he could. Well, he hadn't really been expecting much... Heck, he hadn't really expected anything after 'I'm not calling you 'Gilbert.'' "_It doesn't really matter I guess,"_ he thought as his mind became hazy, _"Why did I even ask? Ah… I don't care anymore…" _He just wanted to sleep…

"… Rook."

"Hmm…?" Gilbert forced his eyes open, blinking his vision clear and raising his gaze to Raven. The man was sitting with his fingers laced on his chest, eyes staring at the ceiling and his expression contemplative. Was that a name? Was he still suggesting them? "Rook?" Gil asked incredulously, "You mean like the chess piece?"

Raven frowned and turned his head away with a scoff, and Gilbert was surprised to find he sounded genuinely offended when he spoke, "I was thinking more along the line of the blackbird, but if you want to be a castle, you can be."

Gilbert's heart leapt. Wait… So, he'd been serious about that one?

And… a rook? Just like…

Gilbert felt his face flush suddenly, shocked beyond belief as realization dawned on him. Raven actually… He had actually thought about that name. Properly. Seriously. And he had chosen…

A rook… Smaller in size, but similar in appearance… A blackbird…

Just like a raven.

Gilbert could not restrain the smile that spread across his face, nor the fluttering, pleasant feeling that filled his body. He felt embarrassed, shocked at the man's unexpected kind gesture, but joy overrode his natural instinct to shrink back and fall silent. He shut his eyes and nuzzle his head against his pillow, "Rook…" he whispered quietly, hearing the other man shuffle awkwardly, "I don't mind it…"

"W-well, forget it, I'm still going to call you 'Brat.'"

Gilbert giggled at the elder's defensive tone; so Raven was feeling just as embarrassed about this as he was. "Then I'm going to call you Seaweed-Head."

"Don't you even think about it."

"Haha, I won't if you won't," Gilbert peeked one eye open to smile up at Raven, chuckling quietly when, even in the lamplight, he noticed the tinge of red on the man's face that matched his own. In response, Raven grumbled and reached out, putting out the light and quietly ordering Gilbert to sleep.

Rook…

Gilbert knew that Raven would never call him by that name. He had never intended to, and would have been far too embarrassed to do so, anyway, just as Gil himself would have been if he heard the elder Nightray say it… but the fact that Raven had thought of the name, that he had suggested one with meaning, that, in doing so, he allowed Gil to associate with him just by picking a similar alias to his own… Well, it meant more than Raven would ever know.

It didn't stop the young servant from responding to Raven's 'Pass the sugar, Brat' with a casual 'Here you go, Seaweed-Head,' though. Oz almost choked on his orange juice and Alice had proudly thumped Gil in the shoulder before pausing and asking why the hell one seaweed-head was referring to the other by that same title.

"He calls me 'brat;' I call him 'seaweed-head.'"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Raven yelled, pointing an accusing finger across the table at him while Oz, sitting by the elder servant's side, grinned widely at his early-morning entertainment.

"Call you what?" Gil asked innocently.

"That!"

"What?"

"You know!"

"I don't."

"You do!"

"If you don't say it, how can I know?"

"Ha!" Oz exclaimed, looking to Raven for a response, but the elder servant merely growled, refusing to so much as utter the nickname he loathed with every fiber of his being. Gil, feeling somewhat guilty and just a little bit smug, thought that he could see now why Oz liked to tease him so much; it was actually… sort of fun.

Still, he restrained himself; he only called Raven 'Seaweed-Head' when the man annoyed him or called him 'brat' or 'kid' more than five times in any given conversation. After all, Raven was protecting him; insulting him on a regular basis would have been a poor way to express his gratitude… but it didn't hurt to have some fun once in a while.

He needed it, what with his dizzy-spells returning more frequently than before. It wasn't something he should worry too much about, as moving over to sit with Raven often alleviated the effects pretty quickly. It was probably just an after-effect to his collapse the other day. And yet…

"Brat, I'm not going to say it!" Raven whispered harshly in his ear, tearing the boy from his musings and causing him to turn to face his elder self. Oz and Alice were sitting a short distance away from the pair, having decided to follow the two Nightrays to the shooting range and watch.

With a small smile, he simply said, "I know."

Raven frowned, "Then why don't you stop calling me… _that_?"

Gilbert loaded his pistol and raised it, aimed, and fired a perfect bulls-eye in a matter of seconds before turning his attention back to Raven, who cursed when he simply responded, "Because it's fun!"

A small cheer from Oz as a result of his perfect shot caused Gil to blush… which brightened with every successful shot and accompanying cheer. It wouldn't have been a problem, except, Oz was almost dancing in circles with his celebrations, intent on making him uncomfortable. When he hit just outside the mark, he looked at the blonde, "Master, you're breaking my concentration!"

Oz gasped dramatically, "How rude! And, here I was, rooting for you! Well, now I think I'll cheer for Raven!"

"What?" Raven frowned, "You were hoping he'd beat me or something?"

"Not anymore!"

"Aren't they finished yet?" Alice groaned.

Gil laughed as Oz spoke to the rabbit, only to have his chain grab his arm and try to drag him back towards the mansion to do something less boring. He called out to ask if she wanted to try shooting, offering his pistol to her while ignoring Raven's discouraging words. ("She'll probably shoot you, you know. … Some people shouldn't be let near a gun. … Just put the safety on or something!")

Alice's curiosity proved too strong, so she dragged Oz back between Gil and Raven and demanded the younger servant's pistol. Gilbert started trying to explain how she should hold and handle the weapon, but she promptly snatched it from his grip and almost shot his foot when her thumb accidentally pulled the trigger, "Ah!"

"What happened?!"

"I-it's alright Alice," Oz laughed nervously, slowly taking the gun from her, "Just… hold it like this…"

"It would be better if we got her a smaller one…" Raven said.

"I'll go~!" Oz sang and spun on his heel, darting back towards the mansion, "Don't kill Gil or Gil while I'm gone, ok, Alice?"

Alice huffed and pointed the gun directly in the air, firing a shot, "No promises!"

Raven scolded her, Gilbert laughed awkwardly, and all three males, once Oz had returned, tried desperately to keep the chain from shooting any of them.

It was hard to worry about anything else when a rabbit with a gun was in their presence, but, despite the fear, Gilbert only felt content. They were all there; Oz, Raven, Alice and himself, and all of them, finally, happy to be in one another's company…

Gilbert congratulated Alice when she managed to hit the very edge of one of the targets, smiling warmly as she spun around with excited eyes to show her achievement to Oz, the young blonde petting her fondly on the head while Raven muttered his surprise.

"_I may not be able to tell Oz how I feel, but… does that really matter? We're all here together; we're all happy…_" the young servant thought to himself, _"And after that… well, I guess nothing else really matters..."_

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

I'm not very good at ending chapters without cliffhangers, but I couldn't bear to ruin the mood ^_^ See you soon for _Loyalty_ 18!


	21. Chapter 18

Hello everyone ^_^ Here's the next chapter! I'm sorry it's so long, but I absolutely refuse to cut it down anymore (yes, this is the shortened version! ^_^;). I'm still not entirely happy with how it came out, but after four to five rewrites I don't think it will get much better ^_^ It's an explaination chapter (sorry!), so I couldn't really cut corners on this one.

I would like to say with certainty that this was one of the hardest parts to get my head around and put into words… But the next chapter has the potential to be even worse, so I'll wait until that's complete before giving that title away! ^_^ It's partially done, but I'd like to take my time with it, so I hope you will be patient with me ^_^

Once again, thank you so much to my wonderful reviewers, and to my amazing Beta-Reader, who took time during this busy month to read this for me; your support encourages me, so thank you :) And welcome to the new reviewers that have joined the series, also! I know a long story is daunting, so thank you for sticking with it and catching up ^_^

I hope you enjoy _Loyalty _Chapter 18 ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 18**

**O-O-O**

Gilbert scoffed. "Tch, you really are a weakling, aren't you, Raven?"

"Ah, just let me go!" Raven whined in response, kicking his legs and swinging his arms uselessly in his attempt to escape.

Oz, standing just a few feet away from the pair of them, said nothing and simply stared, completely baffled by the sight before him; Raven was sprawled out on his stomach with Gilbert standing on top of him, one foot placed against the small of the man's back and the other pushing down on his head lightly to prevent him from getting up. His arms were folded and the look on his face seemed to teeter on disgust as he watched the man beneath his feet squirm uselessly.

What the _heck_ was going on?

"You think a little hug and a promise are enough to win his heart?" Gilbert asked Raven, who released a childish, drawn out 'no' in response, sounding as if he was on the verge of tears. Oz instantly felt his heart leap; were they talking about… him? As if sensing his thoughts, Gilbert looked up and caught Oz's eye, pausing for a moment before smiling slyly.

Slyly? _Gilbert_?!

"Listen, Raven, that's just not good enough…" Gilbert said simply as he removed his foot from the man's head, his eyes never leaving those of his master. "You can't just sit back and wait for things to come to you… You have to go after what you want …"

"Uh… Gil?" Oz blinked, taking a step back when the other teenager stepped off Raven and took a few brisk steps in his direction. Behind him, Raven held up a little white flag of defeat, waving it lightly. What, he was giving up on him that easily?!

Oz didn't have time to tell Raven how insulted he was by the man's lack of determination, however, because suddenly Gilbert had grabbed his wrist and pulled hard, forcing Oz forward until their faces were mere inches apart. "G-Gil, what are you-?!" he gasped when the index finger of Gil's left hand slid up the centre of his shirt, over his chest, up his throat, coming to rest on his chin for just a moment before dancing over the blonde's slightly parted lips.

Gil watched him with half-lidded eyes, the confident smirk that did not look right on his face (and yet was somehow entrancing) widening slightly as he said, "You're blushing, Young Master…"

"A-am not!" Was he? He couldn't worry about that now; Gilbert had hooked his arm around Oz's shoulders twisted, somehow managing to swing the blonde downward so that his body was tilted at an odd angle supported by Gilbert's arm alone with the young servant looking down at him (when had he got strong enough to do that?!).

Gilbert chuckled quietly, "You're cute when you try to deny your feelings."

If he hadn't been blushing before, he must have been at a comment like that; _cute_? _Gil_ was calling _him_ cute? Alright, this was just getting weird, and Gilbert wasn't acting like himself at all!

But… he just couldn't help himself when his young servant leaned in towards him, lightly brushing his lips against his master's, the closeness causing Oz to sigh softly before allowing his eyes to drift closed. So close… and then he felt…

Something prod his shoulder.

"Young Master?"

"EH?!" Oz's eyes flew open and Gilbert yelped, almost tripping over his own feet as he quickly moved away from the startled blonde. The young noble sat up quickly and looked around him; he was in his room, with no Raven sprawled out on the floor, and Gilbert wearing a look more akin to a startled deer than… whatever one would call the look he had been wearing in his dream.

His _weird_ dream.

That was the last time he raided Miss Sharon's library in order to stave off boredom; her novels had some rather arrogant and… _impulsive_ leading males… Personalities that didn't suit his servant at all!

Wait… now that he thought about it, the way that Gil had been acting… The way he had been held, even the way he had responded…

Had he been the girl of the relationship in his dream? Had Gil been the dominant one? In _his own_ dream?

Gilbert placed a hand over his pounding heart and sighed when the blonde ran a hand over his face and through his bed-ridden hair, "Young Master, are you alright? You slept in very late; your breakfast is getting cold."

"Hmm?" Oz blinked, trying to force away those mild, but somehow important, issues relating to the power structures between Gil and himself in his dream and turning his attention back to the dark-haired teen. After seeing the fabrication of his servant with such a suggestive look on his face, the way the boy's golden eyes blinked and his head tilted in confusion when he didn't respond looked even more adorable than it usually did. _"Get a hold of yourself, Oz,"_ he told himself, then smiled, "Ah, sorry, I was up late…"

"Doing what?"

He pulled out a book from underneath his pillow and waved it lightly, grinning when Gilbert sighed and shook his head, "What? I had to see how it ended!" Right now, he wished he hadn't, considering the dream that resulted from it…

"Well, now that you _are_ awake," Gilbert smiled, gesturing lightly towards the door, "maybe you should get ready and think about coming down for breakfast."

Something about the way Gil said that made Oz pause for a moment; that had… almost sounded like an order. Alright, not really, but that dream was still bothering him… Not the whole being with Gil part, or even the way Raven effectively surrendered Oz to his younger self without much protest (though, that _did_ annoy him). No, it was the way Gil had been the forward one… It was just a dream and, it really shouldn't matter because, he knew that Gilbert would never act like that in real life.

But that didn't stop the sudden urge to exercise his influence in order to make sure Gilbert knew his place from rising up within him… even if it had been the Gil in his own imagination that had been acting out of line. He was the master, Gil was his servant. No matter what the situation, he was _always_ in charge.

Running his fingers through his hair in order to coax his gold locks back into place, he shook his head lightly in response to Gil's question, "No."

"'No'?" Gilbert blinked in surprise, "But… aren't you hungry, Young Master?"

"I am," Oz said with a nod, "But I want you to make my breakfast for me."

"What? But they've already served-"

"Pancakes! You have to make me pancakes!" he demanded, pointing at his servant for emphasis. It was the first food that popped to mind, but now that he thought about it, Gil always did make the best pancakes when they were little… He wondered if the boy remembered how he liked them?

"Master… don't you think you're being a bit…?" Gilbert allowed himself to trail off, suddenly wishing he hadn't said anything at all when Oz sent him a sharp glare, one that reminded him of the many, _many_ punishments his master had enacted upon him whenever he had strayed from his orders in any way in the past. He had thought Oz had grown out of that habit a little bit, but the near-pout on his face now told Gil that his master still had some growing up to do; at least, when it came to how he treated his servant. Shrugging lightly, he said, "Alright, if that's what you want, but I haven't made them in a while, so…"

"Well, if you make a mistake, you'll have a certain little furry creature in your face when you wake up tomorrow!" Oz beamed brightly, watching his servant's face pale considerably before he stuttered that he would try his best, clearly distressed by the blonde's previous statement. That was more like the Gil he knew and loved!

… Ah, he really needed to sort out his feelings… Even thinking simple little phrases like that was making him uncomfortable.

Once he was dressed, Gilbert said he wanted to go to the dining room to let the others know where they were going, but Oz simply brushed aside his worry and claimed that they would not be missed at all, grabbing the boy's hand and dragging him towards the kitchen. By now, Gilbert had been there so often with Raven that he had a vague idea of where everything was, so he set to work collecting his ingredients while Oz searched desperately for something. "What are you doing?" the young servant called as he placed a bowl and a number of ingredients on the table.

"Looking for… Aha! Here!" Oz's voice resounded from behind him and, suddenly, Gilbert's vision was obscured by something light yellow being tossed over his head. He pulled it off and frowned as he searched for the edge of the material, managing to find the straps and holding it out in front of him; his face dropped. "Wear this, Gil!"

"No way!" Gilbert exclaimed instantly, clenching the apron in one fist while glaring back at his master, "This is a girl's one!"

"Are you disobeying orders? It's the only one in your size, and you can't let your clothes get dirty, you know," Oz said in a disapproving tone, trying not to smile when the boy's stare faltered before his eyes dropped to the item in his hands. He moved around and took the item from his servant, savoring the momentary flash of relief that passed over the boy's face before slipping his hands into the straps and holding it out, making it easier for Gil to slip his arms inside, "So, put it on~!"

Gilbert frowned as he eyed the apron, pale yellow in color with slightly frilled edges all around, a light pink color dusting his cheeks that made Oz was to pinch them, "Young Master, do I have to?"

"It's an or-der~!" Oz sang, grinning when Gilbert's head dropped, an instant indictor that the boy was admitting defeat. Before long, Gilbert was moving around the kitchen as quickly as he could, trying to make his master's breakfast so that he could take the cute little apron he was wearing off as soon as possible. Oz chuckled from where he sat on the table next to the boy, reaching forward and poking his stomach lightly, causing the dark-haired teen to yelp, "Aww, doesn't Gil look cute in his apron~?"

"M-Master, please!" Gil said, holding the bowl to his chest and mixing quickly, his face turning a number of different shades of red when the blonde continued to stare at him, "C-could you… stop looking at me like that?"

"No~" Oz smiled, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on the heels of his upturn hands, watching Gilbert take a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves before moving away to prepare a pan for cooking. Ah… Raven was handsome, and cute, no matter how much he tried to deny it, but looking at Gilbert now, flustered, hair tied back, wearing such a cute apron… He could be so adorable at times it was almost criminal, making him want to tease and torture the boy until he forced out those whimpers and whines that were so much sweeter than those he could only drag from Raven when he was drunk (he still liked them, but the depth in his tone of voice sort of ruined the effect and made it sound more pathetic than cute). Right now, Oz had to fight the strong urge to sneak up behind the boy and try to frighten him, just to see what kind of scream he would make, to hug him from behind in order to see just how red he turned, to…

"Flip it!" Oz called as Gilbert moved to turn the pancake over with one of the kitchen utensils, shaking those trailing thoughts from his mind before they had a chance to wander down _that_ path.

"What?" Gilbert turned around quickly, "But I don't know how to do that; I'll just-"

"Flip it!"

"But-"

"Fliiiiip it!"

He tried, but, with a clumsy twist of his wrist, a great deal of fumbling and a surprised yelp, it ended up on the floor.

"Ah, Gil is such a klutz…" Oz said in a disapproving tone, causing the young servant blush.

"I told you I couldn't!" he said, placing down the frying pan and snatching a cloth off the counter to clean up the mess he'd made. Oz laughed at the boy's exclamation, but instantly froze when he noticed his servant flinch and pinch the bridge of his nose, apparently in pain.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a little headache…" the young servant said, blinking hard and shaking his head, a motion that only caused him to cringe lightly again. Well, that was a stupid thing to do when you had a headache, wasn't it? "Next time you want to see someone flip pancakes, you should ask Raven. He probably knows how."

Oz reached down and helped the boy clean, despite his servant's protests, before taking a seat by the table and silently watching the boy work, unable to stop himself from smiling at the care and attention the boy gave the simple meal he was working on; he was just like Raven in that way, even if he did lack his elder self's culinary skills.

Hmm… Gil and Raven….

He still didn't seem to be able to make a decision between them. Yes, he had spent a lot of time with Raven recently, but that was mainly because Gil had a bad habit of disappearing when it was just the three of them in the room. He still found himself drawn to the boy when they were alone, feeling wrong for his conflicting feelings but unwilling to deny the addictive spark that struck him whenever he looked into the boy's eyes.

It wasn't the same feeling that washed over him when he looked at his elder servant… When he thought about Gilbert, everything seemed new and exciting, though, it was far from the first time he had felt attracted to someone. It was a little embarrassing, that the slightest brush of hands from his younger servant could make his heart skip in a way it didn't with Raven, but it was that very spark that he found impossible to resist or attempt to ignore. He felt an almost overpowering urge to help and protect the boy, to tease him but treat him gently afterwards. With Raven, he felt just as strongly, but the feelings drawn from him as a result were completely different. Raven's touch made him shiver pleasantly, but not start, and, when the elder man smiled at him, he felt at ease, rather than embarrassed.

With one, his feelings ignited within him in undeniable bursts. With the other, they flowed through him like a slow but steady stream, strong but gentle.

He felt the same for them both, yet completely different. So, how was he supposed to choose?

He had tried the shallow approach, examining the pros and cons of both their personalities, but that had just made him feel guilty. He had tried imagining how being with one would effect the other, and the results of either were negative. He had even tried inadvertently asking Alice her opinion on the matter by questioning her about making a choice between two pieces of her favorite meat, but the chain had simply decided that she didn't care what anyone said, she would have both pieces. Applying that to his situation meant he would choose to be with both Gils, which was impossible (no matter what some of his… 'less refined' dreams suggested). When he managed to convince her she _had_ to choose, the proceeding conversation about picking between two things based on size, weight, taste and texture just made him decidedly uncomfortable. Stupid hormones…

"Is something bothering you?"

"Hmm?" Oz blinked as Gilbert placed a plate in front of him, his mouth instantly watering at the sight in front of him; pancakes with a layer of yogurt and chopped strawberries on top; so he had remembered! "This looks great, Gil!" he said, completely ignoring the boy's question as he turned towards his servant in order to catch the inevitable blush that colored his face at the compliment (he vaguely wondered if causing so much blood to run to someone's face repeatedly ever made them dizzy).

"It's nothing special…" Gilbert say, pulling the straps loose at the back of his apron and slipping it off, "Raven's much better at it, so…"

Oz frowned a little at this statement. "What's with all this talk of Raven?" he asked, taking the knife and fork his servant offered him before taking a seat next to his master with his own plate of plain pancakes, "You keep saying he's better than you at everything; why?"

Gilbert poked his food lightly with a fork, keeping his eyes downcast, "Well, he is, isn't he?"

"I don't know, but there's no need to keep putting yourself down like that," Oz said, sighing when Gilbert simply took a bite of food. Talking about this was upsetting him, it seemed, but, for what reason, the young Vassalius could only imagine. Unwilling to dampen either of their spirits with his curiosity, he decided not to press the matter. Instead, he said, "Now that I think about it, you've been following him around like a lost puppy for the past few days; what's up with that?"

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have," and Oz would know, because it bothered him that they were spending so much time in one another's company that they had less time to be with him, "It's like you're in love with him or something; that's so _vain_, Gil."

Gilbert made a face at that, "That's disgusting…"

"Are you saying Raven's unattractive, then?"

"That's not the issue and you know it."

"Then you're saying he _is_ attractive? How vaaaain…"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Gilbert yelled, and Oz could no longer contain his laughter.

"Haha, you're so easy to wind up~!" he said, finally taking a bite of his pancakes and chewing it slowly, judging the taste. He could almost feel Gilbert trying to watch him without being noticed, gauging his response, waiting to see if what he had made was satisfactory… "Bleh!" Oz made a disgusted face and looked at Gil, "What did you put in here? It tastes terrible!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!" the boy exclaimed, instantly jumping to his feet and reaching out to take the plate from him, but Oz snatched it out of his reach before he had the chance.

"I was kidding!" he laughed, though the look on his friend's face cut him short. Oh… he'd upset him that time; was he really that desperate for Oz to like what he made? Geez… He and Raven were so dramatic when it came to food. Then again, he had been trying pretty hard… With a soft smile, he lowered the plate back onto the table and cut another piece of his pancake free, wrapping it about one of the strawberry pieces and placing it all in his mouth, trying not to be thrown by his servant's nervous stare. When he swallowed, he looked up at Gil and grinned, "Honestly, Gil, they're delicious! The best I've ever tasted, in fact." He leaned forward and winked, "And those _include_ the ones Raven has made for me."

"Th-there just pancakes…"

"_Delicious_ pancakes!"

Gilbert dropped back into his seat with his head lowered, his dark fringe covering the majority of his face as he forced almost half his pancake onto a fork and attempted to consume the whole thing at once. He managed it, somehow, but it took a considerable amount of chewing, which was probably what the boy had been aiming for so that he wouldn't have to respond to anything his master said. _"That, or he was hoping to choke himself to death to escape the evil compliments of Oz Bezarius," _the blonde thought with a shake of his head, watching the boy eat silently, until he dropped his fork as a result of a sudden twitch in his hand, scrambling for it beneath the table and apologizing (whether it was to Oz or the spoon, the young noble couldn't tell). "Somebody's clumsy today," he said.

"Sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for?" It was starting to get a little annoying; was he going to be apologizing for breathing next? "It's not your fault you're useless~!"

"Gee, thanks, that makes me feel much better…" Gilbert rolled his eyes, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth as he coughed lightly, shaking his head before pushing himself to his feet and moving towards the sink for a glass of water.

"That cough still isn't gone?" Oz called as he pierced the final strawberry piece on his plate before turning his head to regard his servant, "It's pretty persistent, isn't it?" Gilbert merely made an odd croaking noise of protest as he tried to hold in another cough, taking a long drink from the glass in his hands and refilling it when he finished and merely coughed again. "Maybe you should see a doctor about it?" Oz suggested as the dark-haired teen took a second gulp of water, sighing heavily when it seemed his throat was finally clear.

"I'll just take some cough medicine before I go to bed tonight," Gilbert said, eyes falling on the empty plate before his master. He moved back across the room and picked it up, along with his own, and moved back towards the sink to clean them, "It's nothing, I'm sure."

"Hmm, if you say so," Oz said, unsure whether or not the young servant was hiding something from him. He could usually tell when people were lying, so…

"Miss Alice is going to be wondering where you are," Gil said as he began to dry the cleaned cutlery, "I'll finish up here if you want to go see the others."

"Ah, that's probably a good idea," Oz chuckled; Alice did tend to get a little 'upset' when he was away for too long, which would normally result in a boot to the skull of either himself or, for some reason, Raven. Oz pushed himself to his feet with a sigh, "I'll go to the dining room, then."

"See you in a minute," Gilbert said without looking back, setting the knives and forks aside before he started cleaning the bowl, pan and plates he had been using.

"_Hmm, he should have kept that apron on; he would look just like a little housewife~!"_ Oz thought, momentarily entertaining the idea of making the boy wear one for an entire day (maybe Raven, too!) before casting that thought aside. No, the simple pleasure of having his servant fulfill his request with little protest was enough to satisfy him, at least for now. And, though, he didn't understand the sudden urge for it, he wanted to give Gilbert a reward for all his hard work~! So he quietly crept up behind the boy, raised a hand and… stopped.

What… should he do?

He wanted to think of a way to thank his servant for breakfast, but a simple 'Thank you, Gilbert~" didn't so much as cross his mind. He stood behind Gilbert, the teenager before him seemingly ignorant of their close proximity, humming absentmindedly as he worked. _"Ha… I wonder if he knows he's completely tone deaf… Maybe I should tell him and see how embarrassed he gets,"_ Oz pondered with a grin, but quickly shook that thought from his mind. He was supposed to be thinking of a way to reward his servant, not upset him.

Should he pet him on the head? That's what he'd been going to do, but was that good enough? Gil was feeling particularly self-critical today, it seemed; he needed some sort of pick-me-up and, as his master, it was Oz's job to give it to him.

A hug, maybe? His other hand raised and hovered over the boy's shoulder for a second, but moved no further. Was a hug too much? No, no, of course not! But… maybe he could… Or maybe he… Maybe he should tickle him! But… that wouldn't be a very nice reward, would it?

The thought of simply touching Gilbert was causing him to become more flustered by the second. Why? What was wrong with him? _"Stop being an idiot and just… do something!"_

A kiss was always a good reward-

No!

Though… one on the cheek wouldn't hurt, right? He'd already done it to Raven and-

No! That was a stupid idea! _"Bad Oz! No kissing your servant!" _Ah… but just imagine the adorable, flustered look on his face afterward; so cute~

Oz started when Gilbert suddenly moved to turn around.

Ah! But he hadn't-! He didn't-! What-? How-?

Without thinking, he reached his arms forward, wrapping them tightly around Gil's shoulders and pulling the young servant back against his chest, a soft yelp of surprise escaping the boy as his hands instantly moved up to rest on the Vassalius' forearms, the cloth that he had been drying the dishes with falling to the floor. There was a pause, a deathly silent moment of mortifying humiliation when Oz realized exactly what he had done, before he tightened his hold slightly and said, "Uh… Good job."

"Wh-what?"

Right now, a hole opening up and dragging him into Abyss was starting to sound like a nice alternative to staying here and explaining himself… which he did very poorly. "Breakfast. It was good. Thanks." He said, shutting his eyes tightly as the urge to hit himself in the head grew almost unbearable.

"Oh…" Gilbert breathed, and Oz felt his fingers move nervously against his arm, the teen's body pressing against his chest a little more as his servant lowered his head, "Y-you're welcome, Young Master…"

Gilbert knew he should remove his hands from Oz's arms and let the boy retreat, give the mildest twitch and his master would probably release him in an instant… but he didn't want to.

It was just a hug. A single, simple hug from one friend to the other, but it was the first real affectionate gesture Oz had shown him in what felt like a lifetime, and Gilbert found himself almost physically incapable of pulling away from his master's embrace, even though his mind was screaming at him to move.

He had tried to distance himself from Oz… He had left his master alone with Raven, tried not to get between them, told himself, and everyone else, that his elder self was better than him in every single way. The things that made him Gilbert – his determination, his loyalty, his talents – were stronger in Raven. He thought these things, said them out loud, in order to convince himself they were true, that it was better for his master to be with Raven, so that he would not be lured in by fantasies of being with Oz himself. The life they all lived together was fine as it was and, if being with Raven was what made his master happy then, he would gladly accept it. He didn't need to tell his master how he felt, because he was happy with the way life was now.

That was what he believed… most of the time.

But, no matter how many times he told himself that, no matter how much he agreed with the idea in his mind, the green-eyed monster in his heart continued to rear its ugly head whenever he saw his master and Raven getting close. A gentle twinge of annoyance when they shared a secret smile, or a painful jolt of near-despair at the thought of Oz being with his elder self and not him… When those feelings arose, it hurt to watch and not try to reach out, to grab his master's wrist, to pull him away from Raven and try to show him how he felt…

And so, for this brief moment, though he felt that he was doing something wrong, that he was betraying Raven, or Oz, or himself in some way by allowing his desires to cloud his better judgment, he allowed himself to enjoy the simple closeness of his master. He didn't really know the reason for it, nor the appropriate response he should make. All he knew was that Oz's arms, though, in no sense strong, felt safe and warm, and that the way the blonde's hair tickled his ear, his warm breath washed over his face… It just felt so…

"_It's just a hug… It's just a hug… It's nothing more…"_

Oz knew he should let go… He really should, but he couldn't think of a way to do it without making Gilbert feel like he was trying to get away, like he didn't want to hug him (which was far from the truth). And… Gilbert just fit so perfectly in his arms, just the right height for Oz to easily rest his face against the side of the boy's head, his body warm and… It was comfortable, and he didn't want to let go. Not yet. _"Just another second or two…"_

The seconds ticked by and neither boy attempted to move. It felt incredibly awkward and perfectly right all at once. Hearts beat hard, faces burned, but, still, Oz held onto Gil, and his servant did not move away.

On so many occasions, Oz had repressed the urge to hug him, to kiss him, to simply reach out and hold his hand, because they were embarrassing or inappropriate or he simply felt that he shouldn't… Why? He cared about Gil… and yet, he was not allowed to show the boy just how much. Surely, he could allow…

He cast a careful sideways glance at the boy's face, beet-red and lowered so that his eyes stared downward, their bodies so close together that he could feel the boy shaking slightly. Oz could feel his own heart beating hard in his chest and wondered if his servant could hear it, too.

After a few moments of continued contact, far too long to be considered a simple embrace between friends, Oz finally allowed his arms to loosen their hold on his servant's shoulders, the dark-haired teen simultaneously leaning forward, both of them doing so slowly, as if reluctant. When Oz's hands paused on the boy's shoulders for a moment, Gilbert stopped, and then turned his head to look back at his master with a cautious, curious stare, both boys blushing softly.

"Um…" Oz swallowed hard, glancing left and right, trying to calm his pounding heart. What should he say? "G… good job!" he said again, raising a single hand to pet the boy hard on the head, earning a quiet grunt of pain from his servant. The sound caused him to flinch – he'd already managed to ruin the moment by hurting Gil! – but then Gilbert chuckled.

"Thank you," he said quietly, smiling back at Oz for a moment before glancing away shyly. The simple action alone made Oz's heart flutter, a warmth spreading in his chest as he watched the boy turn away slightly, still smiling, with that same red tinge on his face, "Um… maybe you should go to the others now?"

"Right," Oz nodded, spinning on his heel quickly so that he was facing the door, preventing his servant from seeing his burning face. Why? Why was it, when it was with Gilbert, more than Raven, that he became so flustered? "Do you… want me to wait?"

"No, it's okay. I'll just…" Gil said, gesturing vaguely towards the sink.

"Right."

"See you…"

"Yeah…"

This was so… awkward.

But it was strange; it wasn't the sort of awkward that made Oz want to run away, or disappear, or wish to travel back in time and make sure the very moment that had caused that feeling never happened. No, this feeling was uncomfortable, but it also felt good, somehow… In their discomfort was a subtle confession, an affirmation that, though they were acting as nothing more than friends, there was something stronger beneath the surface.

Not exactly something he should indulge himself in when he was trying to choose between his servants, but he really didn't care about that right now.

Once he had moved out of his servant's line of vision, he paused and pressed his back against the wall next to the door entering the kitchen, waiting until he heard movement from within before leaning sideways slowly and peeking around the corner. He watched as Gilbert paused when he had placed the pan and cutlery back in their rightful places, his fist pressed against his chest as he took a deep breath, held it, and released it in a quiet laugh, smiling all the while. Oz smiled when he saw the boy gently slap his hands against his red cheeks, trying not to chuckle when Gil spun slowly on his heel and snatched the final plate that needed to be put away from the counter, moving across the room in a fashion so light it dared to turn into a skip, humming to himself tunelessly, but happily.

And all from a simple hug; Gilbert really was easy to keep happy…

Then again, seeing that reaction from his servant tempted Oz's own steps to follow a pleasant pattern, to lead his body through an uncharted dance of his elated heart.

"Hey, Little Seaweed-Head, what's with the stupid face?"

"What stupid-?"

"Oh, Alice, don't be mean, that's just his normal face~!"

"Master!"

"Yours is stupid, too, Oz."

"It is? Maybe I slept on my face or something. You know, if you do that too much, you'll get a face like a Mad Baby!"

"Ugh! Then, sleep on your back, Idiot!"

"Young Master…"

Oz countered Gil's disapproving stare with a quick wink, one that was entirely innocent and only supposed to ask the dark-haired teen to play along, but Gil seemed to pick it up differently as he blushed and looked in the opposite direction.

Oz watched Raven glance suspiciously between him and Gilbert until the younger boy shook his head vigorously, eyes wide, then thought, _"Hmm… That little reward may have complicated things a little."_

Well, he would deal with those issues as they came!

**O-O-O**

"Here."

Liam watched as Break finished pulling on his heavy black cloak before turning to face him, tossing the Pandora member his usual, unreadable grin before reaching out and plucking the small, palm-sized box that his friend had been holding out to him.

"Oh, you shouldn't have~!" the red-eyed servant gushed as he opened the box to inspect the contents, ignoring the way his friend rolled his eyes in response. "So, when's the wedding?"

"You realize that thing won't save him, don't you?"

"Hmm," Break hummed, closing the small box and slipping it into the pocket of his jacket. The smirk on his face never faltered, but the air around him instantly darkened, "Yes, I know."

Liam reached up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, pondering on the best way to phrase what he was going to say next. Break was quite thick-skinned, despite his carefree appearance, but what he was trying to ask him was just… Unable to think of a suitable way to pose the question, he simply sighed and asked, "Then why?"

Break turned away from his friend, reaching out to retrieve Emily from her spot on top of the coat rack, where he had placed her earlier in order to startle other Pandora members familiar, and therefore highly suspicious, of the strange little toy. He held the unmoving doll in his left hand for a moment, his fingers running idly through her hair, before he chuckled quietly, "Because everyone has gotten used to having him around, and I'm certain Milady would be most displeased if I didn't try to fix her broken toy."

Liam frowned, "Does 'everyone' include you, Xerxes?"

"Haha! Of course not! I have Raven if I ever want an easy target for bullying, don't I?" Break answered immediately, almost too quickly, but the casual way he propped his doll upon his left shoulder and brushed the creases from his cloak would convince most that he truly meant what he was saying.

Liam knew better, which also meant he knew not to press that matter. If Break had allowed himself to care about the younger Gilbert Nightray, then telling the boy what was wrong with him was going to cause enough strain on the Reinsworth servant without Liam adding salt to the wound. He held back his questions, the 'hows' and 'whys' that Xerxes Break would never answer in any given situation anyway, and sighed loudly at the man's previous statement.

"Just go home, Xerxes..." he said, ignoring the quiet cackle of the clown's doll as it's master regarded his friend with a perfect mask of indifference, "And let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Oh, _anything_, you say?" Break said with a sly smirk, "Well…"

"_Goodnight_, Xerxes."

He watched as the silver-haired servant made his way towards the main entrance without so much as a second glance back in his direction, sweeping past colleagues with nothing more than a polite nod and a gentle wave. He shook his head and turned, making his way back towards his office and the paperwork that he had allowed to start piling up in favor of helping Break with his investigation. If he did not keep himself organized, Pandora may start questioning what he and Break were up to, which the red-eyed man had warned him against. Not that he needed warning; he had seen what Pandora had done to Gilbert when he first arrived, and he refused to give their scientists an excuse to drag the boy back to be treated as nothing more than a science experiment once again.

"_I just hope they can handle this…"_ he thought.

He felt that his skeptical nature, in this particular incident, was quite justified.

**O-O-O**

The rest of the day had gone by without incident, and much like every other than since Oz, Alice, Raven and Gilbert had arrived at the mansion. This alone frustrated the young Vassalius heir, who claimed that he was starting to get bored with being in the mansion all the time and began asking Sharon and the maids and butlers of the house if there were any events or festivals taking place nearby. That was how the boy made the decision for all of them to go to the St. Beligeron festival that was taking place in two weeks, provided that Break did not appear with a mission before then, something which seemed highly unlikely when one considered the fact he had hardly shown his face for most of the week.

At around seven o' clock, after Gilbert had suffered a rather painful-sounding coughing fit, Oz had ordered his young servant to take some medicine and go right to bed, something he did reluctantly. Unbeknownst to Oz, Gilbert had stayed awake, as he always did, until Raven was able to excuse himself without causing suspicion in order to sit with the teen until he fell asleep. He apologized constantly and Raven clonked him across the head with the corner of a book every time he did.

"That really doesn't help, you know…" Gil grumbled, holding his already aching head while shifting under the covers.

Raven shrugged, "Well, then, stop being an idiot and get some sleep."

"Stupid Seaweed-Head."

"Stupid Brat."

It didn't take long for Gilbert to fall asleep, but it was shortly after this that a note was slipped under the boy's door, one addressed to both Nightrays from Xerxes Break himself. It asked that they both come to the study in the west wing after midnight so that he could tell them everything he had learned about Gil's condition.

"_He didn't really give any hints as to whether it was good or bad news…"_ Raven thought, trying to ignore the uncomfortable twist in his stomach, the sense that something was wrong. "_Damn clown…"_

He woke Gilbert at midnight exactly, handing the young boy a jacket he had taken from the wardrobe as he rolled out of bed with a reluctant groan. They made their way to the door and Raven peeked his head out, listening intently as he looked up and down the hallway, only stepping out when he was certain the coast was clear. They walked in silence until they entered the west wing, where Raven asked, in a quiet voice, "Do you still have that headache?"

"Hmm," Gil frowned, appearing confused, his voice just as quiet, "Well… sometimes it's there, and sometimes it's not.

"And the cough?"

He shrugged, "It's the same, really. And no," he added, seeing the question in the eyes of his elder self, "there's been no blood."

How he was able to speak so calmly about the matter, Raven didn't know. When he spoke about the problems he was having, it was as if it were in relation to a complete stranger and he supposed that was how the boy viewed the matter; if he thought too much about what could possibly be wrong with him, then he would probably have broken down by now.

Despite his almost dismissive responses, however, Raven was perceptive; there was a sluggishness to the boy's step now that _could_ have been attributed simply to drowsiness, had it not been prevalent for the past two days. It was odd; one moment, the kid could be running away from Oz (and whatever instrument of torture his young master currently possessed) with impressive speed, and, the next, he would be forced to sit down due to a sudden wave of pain or dizziness, unable to move very much for several minutes. According to Gilbert, it was no worse than it had been in the weeks when Raven had known nothing of his problems, and it didn't seem to be getting any worse, either. That didn't make Raven feel any better, especially when he had the sneaking suspicion that the boy was lying to him.

He stopped suddenly when they reached the study, Gil halting behind him, the sudden silence that followed making the nervous quiver in the boy's breathing obvious. He sighed and turned slightly to look back at the young servant, who stared up with him with questioning eyes.

Reaching up, he placed a hand on the teenager's head and lightly tossed his hair. Gilbert, confused but grateful for the silent encouragement, simply lowered his head and allowed the action. When Raven muttered a quiet 'let's go,' his only response was to nod silently. The elder Nightray turned and reached forward, grasping the door handle in his hand and twisting it slowly, opening the way into the study and stepping quickly inside, the young servant following close behind.

Whatever was going on with Gilbert, Raven knew this meeting with Break was going to provide the contractor with some answers, even if the kid himself didn't want him to know.

He could only hope that at least some of it was good.

**O-O-O**

"Raven, could you do me a favor and hold down Little Gilbert for me~?"

Gil and Raven stared at Break for a moment, both trying to figure out exactly what they had managed to mishear. After a moment of silent contemplation, Raven raised a questioning eyebrow and simply asked, "What?" Surely, the silverette hadn't actually said…

"Well, we can't have him running away, can we?" Break said in his usual nonchalant tone, smiling widely and not in the least bit phased by the concerned gaze of the two Nightrays. Pushing himself away from the mantle of the gently glowing fireplace, he moved slowly in the direction of the younger boy, who instinctive shrank back, and said, in a quiet, unnerving tone, "He might not like how it feels at first; it's bound to be uncomfortable, but it will get better…"

Well, that definitely didn't make either of them feel any better.

Gilbert slid deeper into his seat as Break placed his left hand on the arm of his chair, bending the top half of his body downward so that he was face-to-face with the young servant. Gil's nervous eyes kept darting back and forth between Raven and his red-eyed captor, confused and looking considerably uncomfortable as a result of the man's close proximity.

"Break?" Raven muttered quietly, slowly pushing himself to his feet as he watched, with complete bewilderment and more than a little fear, as the elder man reached his right hand out towards the young boy's chest. "What are you-?" He started when Gilbert winced and whined, body curling in on itself suddenly, and, before he had time to register what had happened (he didn't think he wanted to!), Raven had darted to his side and pushed Break away forcefully, sending the Reinsworth servant stumbling a step or two before he quickly regained his balance. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled, instinctively stepping in front of the younger boy. What was Break thinking?! Was he really-?

Gilbert rubbed the spot on his chest that Break's palm had been pressed against; what had Break been doing to him?

The swordsman eyed Raven with false surprise, the confused tone in his voice as fabricated as the look on his face, "Why, Raven, whatever is the matter? I was only giving him a little gift."

He was about to yell that what Break had been about to do was no 'gift,' but, before he could, the Reinsworth servant raised his right hand and uncurled his fingers. From his palm, a tiny disk tumbled downwards, halted in its journey by the chain that looped through a hole at the top.

Raven and Gilbert both blinked in confusion; a pendant?

"I have a little something that might help with those aches you keep getting, but it will probably be very uncomfortable when you first put it on," Break explained, swinging the small pendant back and forth like a pendulum, Gilbert's gaze following it curiously while Raven kept his eyes on Break, "And since we don't want to have to keep forcing you to keep it on, it's better if Raven holds you still until you get used to it." He chuckled quietly when he saw the two Nightray's glance at one another, the elder of them grumbling and running a hand through his hair while the young coughed awkwardly. "What were you two thinking of? Such dirty boys~"

"So… how is that supposed to help?" Gilbert asked, hand still pressed against his chest where Break had apparently pressed the pendant. Though it looked completely harmless, the sensation that remained after the item had touched him for a few brief seconds felt similar to having a heavy bruise on his ribcage.

"I'll explain that, when you put it on," Break said, twirling the chain around his index finger idly, "Think of it as a trade; my information for your co-operation. Now, Raven, if you wouldn't mind…"

Reluctant to act when he didn't know all the facts, but knowing Break would never tell them anything until he got what he wanted, Raven moved around behind the boy's chair and cast a questioning look at the man, waiting for further instruction. He saw Gilbert shuffle with discomfort when Break told him he only needed to keep a hold on the boy's hands, the young servant slowly raising his arms so that Raven could reach forward and hold his wrists, pulling them back slightly so that they were in line with his head. He saw Gilbert press his back into the chair and felt the slight shake in the boy's body increase as Break approached him. Not that he blamed him…

"Remember, he has to keep it on," Break said, and without warning, reached out and slipping the chain around Gil's neck.

The reaction was immediate; the boy's entire body jerked and Gil gasped in pain, Raven already forced to tighten his hold as he tried to pull his arms downward towards his chest. He whined in protest, eyes shut tight and teeth gritted, his body squirming with discomfort while his hands twitched and pulled against Raven's hold.

"Take it easy," Raven said, but, even as he did, Gil let out a short whimper and suddenly twisted his body violently, moaning and shaking his head as he kicked out weakly, trying to contain much louder exclamations of pain. _"It's just for a little while…"_ Raven thought, forcing himself to resist the urge to release the boy and allow him to remove the item that was causing him so much discomfort (hell, he was having trouble not ripping the chain from the kid's neck himself). As the seconds ticked by like minutes and Gilbert continued to struggle against his hold, fists clenched so hard that his nails pierced the skin of his palms, Raven felt worry and frustration building in his stomach. It did not help when he looked up to find Break regarding the young child's pain with cold indifference. Was this some sort of experiment?! "Break, what's-?" he was silenced when Break raised his hand, his eye never leaving the young servant, and Raven could do nothing but curse under his breath and snatch Gil's left hand again when the boy managed to wrench it free from his grip, instantly grasping for the pendant.

It took only a minute for Gilbert to calm down, but, to Raven, it had felt like an eternity. He didn't much like standing idly by while someone was in pain and, judging by the small, self-inflicted injuries on the boy's hands, the thin layer of sweat on his face and the tears brimming at the corners of his eyes, it had hurt considerably. Rather than simply release him, Raven stretched over the back of the chair and gently placed the boy's arms on his lap, then asked, "You alright?"

Breathing heavily, Gilbert nodded slowly, bringing one of his weak arms up to wipe across his eyes, "F-fine… It doesn't hurt any-" he almost choked when Break popped a lollipop into his open mouth, coughing lightly but biting down on the treat at the same time, holding it in place.

"Good patient's get treats~!" Break chirped as the boy removed the treat and, along with Raven, stared at him dubiously. He smirked when they simultaneously muttered 'weirdo,' glancing at each other in surprise at the echoed sentiments. Gilbert looked down at the pendant hanging around his neck, reaching up to give it a single sharp poke, as if expecting it to be hot to the touch, before taking the small disk between his thumb and index finger and lifting it up to examine it. "How do you feel?"

The young servant raised his gaze from the curious, decorative circle engraved on either side of the coin-sized disk to Break, his free hand instantly shooting to the space above his heart when the man's words registered. His beat was regular, his mind clear, and his hands were no longer shaking. "I feel… fine. Better than I have in a while, actually… My headache is gone and I don't feel tired or shaky like I usually do," Gil said, trying to ignore the suspicious gaze he received from Raven; he's never told the man about his constant internal shakes, "What is this thing?"

Break took several steps backwards and placed his hands on the edge of the desk behind him, lifting himself up to sit on it with his legs crossed. There was something about the lingering silence that caused the feeling of relief within both Gilbert and Raven to quell, the latter of which moved to take his seat once again after receiving a telling glance from the red-eyed servant; whatever he had to say next was important… And the look on his face, the humorless smile, suggested that they probably weren't going to like it.

Once both Nightrays had focused all their attention on the Pandora member, Break leaned back on has hands and said, "That… is a sealing pendant. Pandora made them in order to easily contain the more powerful chains of contractors, illegal or otherwise, inside their bodies. It's similar to how you seal B-Rabbit inside of Oz with **Raven**, only, instead of using a chain, the pendant has been engraved with a restraining magic circle, like the ones used to contain you back at Headquarters," he gestured casually in Gil's direction with one hand at this, the boy nodding slowly in understanding, though his face suggested he was uncertain about the direction this conversation was taking. Break sat up straight, his left hand reaching back and sliding a small file towards him, flicking open the first page and glancing over the words written there, "However, they were unsuccessful due to their inability to contain anything more than the weakest of chains, and were put into storage several years ago in case they were needed for experimentation. My good friend Liam thought one would be rather helpful in this situation," he glanced at Gilbert once again, "and, judging by the results, he was correct."

Gilbert straightened up quickly, a sudden thought striking him, "Wait, are you saying I'm-?"

"No, you're not an illegal contractor, or a chain, or anything of the sort," Break said with a smile, but there was not a shred of humor behind it, "I'm afraid you're something else."

The vague nature of the statement instantly chilled the air, Gilbert's hand clenching around the pendant resting in his palm.

"What do you think all of this is?" Break asked, moving his hand in a slow arch before him to gesture towards both Raven and Gil, "How do you think the two of you came to be? Pandora has never recorded a single incident in which two of the same person existed at the same time, so…?" he left the question hanging, eyeing the pair curiously, awaiting an answer. Neither Nightray spoke, and Break could only smile sadly when he noticed both of them avoiding one another's gaze, staring at the floor, ceiling, or surrounding bookshelves, instead. _"It seems that neither of them wanted to think about it…"_ he thought to himself, _"And with good reason…"_

"I'm afraid that is the key question here, and Liam and I have done as much research as we could and come up with one solution," he finally said after another moment of silence, noting a painful mixture of curiosity and fear in both their eyes when they turned to face him, a desire to know overpowering the urge to flee and deny a truth they feared, "We believe that ten years ago, Gilbert Nightray went down to the Gateway of the Nightray House and came into contact with **Raven**. You claim that he tried to pull you in, correct?" A nod from both. "Well, though you may believe you were drawn in, your physical body had not moved from where it stood before the gate; it was your _soul_ that **Raven** took a hold of, and when your brother pulled you back, he tore it from **Raven's** clutches." He noticed Raven's eyes slowly growing wider, realization dawning on him even as Break spoke, but mingled with confusion for the larger details. Gilbert, the poor fool, remained ignorant for a further few seconds.

But there was no reason to delay the inevitable, and, so, Break continued.

"However… A piece of it, what people call a 'soul fragment,' was pulled into **Raven's** realm and, somehow, given a physical form through the powers of Abyss…. That soul fragment…" he said, raising a hand and pointing directly at Gilbert, "is you."

Raven started, shocked, though he had been expecting to hear those exact words. He turned his head to look at Gilbert, the young servant staring at Break blankly, still holding the pendant tightly in his fist. _"A soul fragment…?" _He thought_, "Does that mean he's like Jack? But then, how…?"_

"M… me?" It was all Gilbert could bring himself to say, pressing his clenched fist against his chest as his mind tried to wrap itself around what Break had just said. He was a _what_? How did…? What did that…? He had never really thought about it… What he was, what he could possibly be, how there could be two Gilbert Nightrays… He had pushed the concern to the back of his mind shortly after discovering Raven's existence, accepted that it was just a strange occurrence, because he hadn't thought it necessary to know. Hadn't wanted to know, for fear of receiving an answer he didn't want… But a soul _fragment_? What did that mean, exactly? Before he had the chance to ask, however, Break was speaking again.

"Since there has only been one known record of soul fragmentation in the past, we have no idea what effect exposing one to the Abyss could have," the red-eyed man said with a shrug, "It's possible your subconscious still believed it had a body and, along with your own personal memories, caused the powers of Abyss to eventually manifest themselves in your likeness, down to the last detail," he drew a finger across his chest to indicate the scar that was etched across the body of the two people before him, "It would certainly explain how you managed to survive; the Chains of Abyss could not see you until you had a definite physical form."

Gilbert raised a hand to press against his head; his… Was his body not human, then? No, that couldn't be right… He was human. He felt like a normal human, and he was certain he had sensed Raven's claws wrap around his body on that day. He had felt the physical pain of it. He had to have had a body entering the Abyss! … But… that Suit back in Holder had said…

_"Delicious, delicious… And somehow drenched in the scent of Abyss…"_

Gilbert's heart leapt painfully at the memory. _The scent of Abyss_? He closed his eyes as the chattering voices of the parasite Chains in the Suit's body alighted in the back of his mind, _"He does smell like Abyss! Have you been to Abyss? Come back to Abyss! We'll take you to Abyss!"_

"It would appear that the energy within your own body is unbalanced as a result of leaving the Abyss, which is what causes those attacks of yours," Break continued, "I think that would also explain why you feel drawn to Raven; his body is the one you originally belonged to. His energy is far more stable, and so being close to him allows the energy in your own body to mimic and gain support from his. That's why you have fewer attacks when he is around."

That time… when Gil first arrived in the mansion, in the kitchen, when he fell asleep and suddenly awoke leaning against Raven's back… Had that been why? Was that why he had so many attacks? Was that why he was so weak, physically? Because the energy in his own body was unbalanced? What…? Why…? How…?

After leaving the Abyss, his body had…

His eyes shot open and he gasped, raising his gaze to find Break's single red eye, "W-wait a minute," he breathed, his voice quivering, "Does that mean that I'm…" the fear that alighted in his heart choked the final word and kept it within him, so he released the pendant and held it between his fingers once again, holding it up slightly, refusing to break eye-contact with the man in front of him. "Does this… Why…?" He couldn't say it… but Break seemed to understand, and the proceeding sigh of frustration caused Gil's heart to drop.

"Break…" Raven growled; he wasn't really… He wasn't going to _say_ it, was he?

"I believe so," Break said, ignoring Raven's sharp glare, "It would seem that without the power of Abyss to support it, your body is slowly deteriorating."

Gilbert, suddenly feeling weak as the truth slowly revealed itself to him, allowed his forearms to rest on his knees and his gaze to fall to the floor, heart racing at the words he anticipated Break would speak next, but, otherwise…

"For now, the pendant should be able to retain the energy inside you and prevent your attacks, but, unless we find a way to balance out your energy, without it…"

His entire body just felt numb… If he was just… if he was only… Then…

"… I doubt it will be enough to keep your body together in the long term."

Break watched Raven's eyes widen, his head turning sharply to regard his younger self with concern and fear, as if he expected the boy to collapse, for his body to evaporate before his eyes in that very moment. He wanted to stop, to allow a moment so that the pair could collect themselves, so that he could gather _his own_ thoughts, but prolonging this was not going to make any of them feel better… "If the energies in your body become any more erratic, or you weaken a substantial amount before we have found a way to restore your energy, then your body will not survive. If that happens, then I think we should be prepared to deal with it. If we don't, it could possibly cause harm to both of you."

"Break…" Raven growled, angered by his lack of sensitivity, eyes darting between Gil and the elder man. The dark-haired teen had his gaze locked on the space between his feet, his eyes wide, breathing shallow and uneven as he tried to absorb the information that he had just been provided with. Raven wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder, or call him, or say something… But what? What could he possibly say to lighten the impact of something like _this_?

Break had just told the kid he was… dying…

And now, he wanted to go into the details of what they should do if the boy's body deteriorated beyond salvation.

How could he?

_Why_?

It wasn't going to happen, damn it! Raven wasn't going to let the kid die, so why would they have to talk about something like this? Did he get some sort of sick pleasure out of it? Even if that was the case, wasn't this enough? Wasn't terrifying the boy enough?

Although… how could they fix this? There had to be a way, but…

"Go on…" Gilbert muttered, allowing his eyes to close and keeping his head lowered.

"Kid…"

"Just… tell us…" Gil shook his head slowly, but said no more, his hands clasping together in front of him and allowing his new pendant, his lifeline, to hang beneath him. Raven made a move to reach out for the boy, but Gilbert turned his head away, causing the man to pause and retract his hand, resting his elbows on his knees and he buried his fingers in his hair and tugged hard, trying not to growl aloud with frustration.

Break sighed and opened up a file lying on his desk, glancing over the notes he and Liam had compiled and explaining as clearly as possible what he intended to do if Gilbert's body did not survive. In truth, he resented being the one to have to provide the Nightrays with this information, but trusted no one else to do so. With every passing word, he could feel Raven's rage and resentment grow stronger and stronger.

And with every passing statement, it felt as if Gilbert moved further and further away

**O-O-O**

Gilbert did not utter a single work to Raven as they made their way back to their rooms half an hour later. The elder of the pair was trying to organize his own thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that had been said and contemplate a way to change it, to fix it, to make it so the plans he and the kid had just agreed to mere minutes ago would never have to be played out… But his eyes and thoughts kept returning to the boy by his side, whose fingers played idly with the pendant around his neck while his eyes stared forward, expression unreadable.

As scared as Raven was, as uncertain and conflicted his mind and heart were, he knew it had to be nothing compared to what he was going through. Right now, he was keeping his thoughts to himself, but, if he kept them bottled up, it would only cause problems.

He wanted to talk to him… Not just for the kid, but for himself, as well. He didn't know how he should feel about all of this, what he should think or do, and he felt like he needed to talk it through with someone. Gil, however, remained completely silent, ignoring the elder Nightray when he pushed open the door to his room and stepped in, shrugging off the coat he had tossed around his shoulders and climbing back into bed without a word. Raven hovered in the doorway momentarily – did Gil need him to stay with him anymore now that he had the pendant? – before stepping inside and moving across the room to grab his usual chair.

"Hey… We'll figure this out," he said quietly as he took his seat beside the boy's bed, trying to ignore the fact that his younger self had turned his back to him when he hadn't been looking, "It'll be alright, Kid…"

Gilbert didn't respond. He didn't even move to show he acknowledged what Raven was saying. The elder man would normally have given him an earful for that, but, instead of the anger that usually bubbled up within him in similar circumstances, all he felt was… pity.

He stayed with Gilbert that night, even though the boy, after a few minutes, had told him outright that he wanted to be left alone. Raven had been in his own dark places a number of times over the years, and the last thing he wanted was for the kid to be left on his own right now…

He tried to sleep, though, he knew that he would be unable to. He tried to think of a solution to everything they had heard, knowing there were none to be found without further investigation. He tried to ignore the way Gilbert hugged his pillow and took long, shaky breaths, trying to calm himself, trying not to cry, to break down, but found he was unable to.

Neither of them slept that night, their minds racing with the 'how's, 'why's, and 'what if's of their situation.

Raven pondered, and cursed, and waited impatiently for dawn so that he could excuse himself from the mansion and go to Pandora, to aid Break and Liam in their search for a solution.

And Gilbert thought of the joy and elation caused by something as simple as a gentle embrace, and wondered why, in less than a day, the wonderful feelings that emerged as a result of such an innocent pleasure had to be cast into doubt…

He loved Oz, with all his heart…

But… if he were just a soul fragment… was it his heart?

Was Oz his master?

Was he the Gilbert that Oz thought that he had embraced?

Or was he just a pale reflection, a memory or a phantom, twisted by the cruel, sadistic humor of Abyss?

If so…

If that was how it was… then…

"_Do I… actually love Oz Vassalius?"_

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	22. Chapter 19

Here it is; chapter 19 :) Sorry for the delay, but now that exams are finally over I'm determined to get to work ^_^

Since it has already been over six weeks since the last update, I decided to cut the original Chapter 19 in half and give you the complete section now (I think the break was a bad idea; I can't seem to get Gil's thoughts to sound right...). Also, the story has been lengthened by at least three chapters to allow for some more funny/cute moments with Oz and his servants, as well as some more Gil and Raven scenes :)

Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; I really appreciate that you took the time to leave a little note, and I hope that, despite the essential darkness of the next two chapters, _Loyalty_ will continue to entertain at least one of you ^_^

I did not want to bother my Beta-Reader for this chapter, especially after such a long delay, so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. I hope you can still enjoy it ^_^

(Also, I know Raven's scene seems odd, but it would have really cut down Chapter 20 if I'd explained what he thought be the end of his section)

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 19**

**O-O-O**

"Are you alright, Master Gilbert?"

"I'm fine," Raven muttered, taking the cup of coffee that Liam had offered him and nodding silently in thanks, pinching the small disk held between his thumb and forefinger distractedly as he took a small sip. It was another pendant, exactly like the one the kid now wore around his own neck, given to him by Liam upon his arrival at Pandora that n morning. Apparently Break had asked him to get a hold of two, but his cautious nature meant that Liam wanted to check the documents and pray a miscalculation would mean their removal from storage would not be noticed. "Why do I need one?" Raven asked, raising his hand slightly and turning his gaze towards the Reinsworth servant across the room.

Break, who had been idly flicking through Liam's carefully ordered files and leaving them open and disorganized on the desk, glanced up towards the Nightray and smiled his usual unreadable smile, "It's always better to be prepared, don't you think?"

Raven frowned as he slipped the item around his neck, feeling an odd twinge as **Raven's** powers momentarily lurched in protest the unfamiliar feeling of a seal, before registering that he was not under threat and once again becoming dormant. "Meaning?"

Break hummed lightly, trying to fold one of Liam's documents into the shape of a plane, "Meaning, you and Little Gilbert both are quite useless, and-"

He was silenced when Liam snatched the paper from his hands, attempting to push pages back into some semblance of order. "What Xerxes means is that the pendant is not very strong; if there is too much energy for the seal to contain then it will simply shatter, and though that seems unlikely, the chain itself is breakable, and it's always possible that young Master Gilbert could lose it," he slapped Break's hand away from his series of pens, earning an annoyed pout from the man, which he simply ignored and looked towards Raven. "In all, it's safer to keep a spare, just in case."

The dark-haired man nodded in understanding, slipping the pendant beneath his shirt, so that it hung next to his Blood Seal Mirror and Pandora crest, before reaching out and taking the papers Liam offered him before silently bowing and retreating from the room. It was a charitable gesture, Gilbert assumed, done to make him feel at least somewhat useful; what could he possibly find or offer to the investigation into the kid's condition now that both Break and Liam hadn't thought of in the past several weeks? Despite knowing this, however, he had risen as early as he had thought possible to do without rising suspicion, announced his intent to question Break about the potential chain case in Phantome, and left for Pandora shortly after breakfast, all in order to sit in Liam's office and sift through dozens of notes, documents and books in order to reread, rethink, and retest everything that Break and Liam had probably faced already.

It was stupid, he knew, but he couldn't just sit back and do nothing...

Gilbert still hadn't spoken a word since the previous night; when he didn't show up for breakfast Raven offered to go and check on him, finding the boy still lying in bed, awake, but unmoving. He had wanted to coax the boy out of his room, to insist that if he didn't act normally, everyone would find out what was wrong… but he could not bring himself to do so. Gil had yet to let himself shed a single tear on the matter, though he seemed to come quite close during the night. Aware of the emotional pressure the boy was certainly under, Raven's determination failed , and the only words he spoke to the boy were 'Just get some sleep, I'll be back as soon as I can', before he closed the door behind him and returned to the dining room.

"He's not feeling well," he had told his master when the young blonde had, inevitably, asked him why the younger Nightray had not accompanied him back to the dining room. Raven gathered his hat from the table and brushed the creases from his jacket as he placed the item on his head, eyes narrowing slightly when he saw Oz's gaze drifting towards the door, worry thinly veiled within his emerald eyes. He knew something was not right, no matter what Raven would try to say to convince him otherwise. With a sigh, Raven reached out and placed a hand on the boy's head, green and golden irises meeting almost instantly. "Just give him some space…" Raven said quietly, allowing his fingers to thread through his master's hair for a moment before slowly lowering his hand to rest on the teen's shoulder, smiling softly, "He'll be fine, so I don't want you to worry."

Oz frowned, "Saying that makes me worry more."

Raven squeezed his shoulder gently, slightly taken aback by the boy's outright concern. Did he really realize that something serious was wrong? "Well, don't," he said, allowing his hand to slide from the boy's shoulder so that it hung loosely by his side, "because you have nothing to worry about."

_Liar_.

He could almost hear his master think the accusation, feeling the weight of the blond's disappointed gaze on his back as he quickly retreated to the front door of the mansion, where a carriage awaited him. That same pressure followed him all the way to Pandora, and it still lingered over his shoulder now, as he glimpsed over documents. That lingering stare… a look that he shied away from like a child would the disapproving gaze of its parents; Oz was disappointed in him, because he had lied to him… but there was nothing he could do about it. He had promised the kid he wouldn't tell…

He sighed and quickly glimpsed over Gil's medical documents, unwilling to read the details of his treatment during his earlier stay in Pandora, before setting it aside and choosing to focus on drinking his coffee instead. Despite all his good intentions, he found himself unable to keep his thoughts focused on the files in front of him. His mind was filled with questions and concerns, for Oz, for Gil, for himself…

If the kid was a soul fragment… what did that mean? Was he just another part of himself? Could a soul fragment really live its own life? And if the kid was a piece of his own soul, then what did that make Raven? _"If Break is right about all this, then I'm not a whole soul, either…"_

"Hmm," Break's voice suddenly sounded from behind, causing the Nightray to jump slightly, before the red-eyed servant folded his arms on top of the man's head, "if you keep making that face you'll get wrinkles~!"

"Get lost, Break," Raven snapped, "I'm trying to think…"

Break chuckled quietly and unfolded one arm so that his hand hung directly in front of Raven's gaze, a piece of hard candy wrapped in pale blue foil dangling from his fingers. "You wouldn't happen to be having a little identity crisis, would you?" he asked, waving the sweet in front of the dark-haired man, who cursed quietly at Break's accurate question. "Don't think too hard, you'll only hurt yourself."

"I just…" Raven whispered, placing his cup back down on the table in front of him. He didn't really know why he was saying this, and to _Xerxes Break_ of all people, but he just had to get it out of his heart and into the air, "I wonder if not being a whole soul… Does that mean the person that existed before we were separated is gone? Does it mean that neither of us is the person Oz grew up with? Or-"

"You _would_ look at the glass half-empty, wouldn't you?" Break interrupted, sighing heavily, "That certainly is your style… Why can't you see it as both of you being 'Gilbert', rather than neither?"

"Because my view makes more sense."

"Does it?"

"We're both incomplete…" Raven frowned, "So how can either of us be him?"

Break hummed thoughtfully, reaching forward and dropping the unaccepted candy on Raven's notes before unfolding his arms and pulling away from the eldest Nightray heir. He spun on his heel in order to face the door. Silly Gilbert… It wasn't that Break did not understand the predicament the boy's were in; had he not been studying their situation for several weeks already, then he probably would have been asking the very same questions that were running through their heads at present. Well, he'd had time to figure out how he felt about the entire situation...

"Hmm… well, I wouldn't know," he said as Raven brushed the sweet off his papers, lacing his fingers into his hair and resting his elbows on the table, staring downward. Break smiled and began to move towards the door, reaching up and petting Emily's hair thoughtfully as he did. "After all…" he glanced over his shoulder and smiled knowingly, though Raven could not see him with his back turned, "the only 'Gilbert' I have ever known… is the man I've worked with for the past ten years, and the young boy I met after we escaped Cheshire's Realm..."

Raven blinked at the odd tone in Break's voice. If it had been anyone else, he would have called it 'soft', but this was Break. Nice words like 'soft', 'gentle' or 'polite' didn't fit in his description. He turned to regard the man with a curious stare, but the Pandora member had already left, leaving nothing but- ah… a trail of sweets across the room. Lovely. Raven cursed quietly and pushed himself to his feet, moving towards the door in order to collect the treats off the floor. _"I swear, that guy is just so…!" _He placed the sweets in a small pile next to his work and sat back down, taking an old chain report in his hands as if intent on reading it, but instead he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"_The way he said that was… weird,"_ he thought; despite the suggestive tone, there was nothing about what Break had said that could be interpreted as anything more than what it had appeared to be at face value. Of course Raven was the only 'Gilbert' Break had ever known apart from the brat, but that didn't change anything. If he was not a complete soul, then the person Break had come to know in the past decade was…

He paused for a moment, drumming his fingers lightly against the pages that lay on his lap.

Ten years… He and Break had known each other for ten years. And in that time, he had worked, and trained, and learned, and grown. He had changed so much since he had arrived at the Nightray mansion, so much that he had become-

His heart leapt, eyes widening slightly in the same instance. He quickly sat up in his chair and spun to look at the door, as if expecting to find the one-eyed swordsman standing there, a knowing smile plastered across his strange, smug face. The doorway was empty… but Raven knew that, somehow, Break had interpreted what his response would be to the man's words, and was probably wandering through Pandora with a ridiculous grin on his face.

"_That…"_ Surprising himself, the dark-haired man chuckled softly and shook his head. "That idiot…" he whispered quietly, though the insult was said in a gentle tone, the smile on Raven's lips cancelling any negative intent. Was he really so predictable, that Break knew exactly what to say to make him understand? Just a few, simple words, and he was guided to the clowns way of thinking…

For once, that did not seem like such a bad thing.

He returned to work after that, no more focused, but far less frustrated by what had appeared mere minutes ago to be completely damning questions_. "I wonder if the kid's alright…"_ he thought as he dumped his now-cold coffee and began to make a fresh cup, using the time to ponder about the condition of the young servant. It still felt a little strange, caring for a boy he should rightfully resent for his relationship with Oz, but the more time they spent together, the more he wanted to protect him. His wasn't a bad kid by any stretch, and what he had to be going through now was so… _"Maybe I should go back; he really shouldn't be left on his own after something like this… No, he'll be fine for a few hours. I should stay and work; it could benefit us both in the end."_

Eventually, unable to prevent himself from worrying, he decided to finish the small pile of papers stacked to his left and then go back to the Reinsworth estate. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had to talk to Gil; if his trail of thought was allowed to continue as Raven's had been, then he could do some serious damage to his mental health. He felt an almost child-like urgency to relay to the boy what he had just discovered, the conclusion he had reached about their identity, in order to protect him from unnecessary worrying.

Again, Raven shook his head, smiling slightly.

When it came right down to it, Break, in his own weird, manipulative little way, always knew the right thing to say…

**O-O-O**

Soul fragment…

A piece… Lost… Only a piece…

Gilbert took a deep breath and released it, shutting his eyes tight and trying to clear his mind, but the same thoughts that had plagued him throughout the night, chasing away sleep and making it impossible to enjoy the positive effects of the pendant Break had provided, continued to haunt him.

He didn't want to feel this way. He didn't want to lock himself away from everyone to brood over something that only concerned him. He felt that he was not the sort of person that deserved that kind of attention, even from himself, but he couldn't stop himself from wondering… Was he human? Were his feelings his own, or just imitations of someone else's? If Raven was Gilbert, then who was he? Was he another Gil, or was he nothing?

"_I am human…"_ he told himself, desperately trying to rid himself of the heavy depression that loomed over him, making him incapable of hiding, of pretending everything was fine, "_I think for myself… I decide for myself… I'm…"_ Gilbert...? No matter what he wanted, no matter how much his heart begged him to accept his humanity, he could not stop himself from thinking that he _wasn't_ Gilbert Nightray. How could he be, if he was just a fragment? A _dying_ fragment… Something that could disappear in a matter of days, leaving nothing to prove his existence but the memories of those who had met him.

Would they remember him? Would they even care, once they knew what he was? _Should_ they care, if he wasn't even human…?

"_I am human… they would care… they would!"_ his heart screamed, but his mind covered his entire form with a blanket of disabling doubt, making his body tired, his mind blurred, and his heart ache.

When Gilbert heard a soft knock on the door, he had turned his back to it and pulled the blanket over his head, shutting his burning eyes tight and hoping that, whoever it was, they would simply give up when they received no response and leave him alone. That hope was dashed, however, by the sound of racing footsteps, and before he had a chance to register exactly what was happening something heavy landed directly on top of him, earning a started cry from the teen despite himself.

"Hey Gil, get out of there~!" Oz said in a sing-song tone, sliding off the mound of material that covered his servant and tugging lightly on the blanket, trying to pull it off the boy. The moment his feet had left the ground he had regretted his sudden urge to pounce on his servant (he was sick after all, getting surprised was not going to make him feel any better), but chose to ignore that for the moment. He frowned slightly when he noticed that Gil was holding on tight to the covers, refusing to allow Oz to pull them off his head. What? Was he embarrassed or something? With a chuckle he prodded Gil through the material, searching for his sides or stomach so that he could try to tickle him, "Come on, that's not good for you when you're sick. You need fresh air."

"Go away."

Oz blinked and withdrew his hand for a moment, surprised by the blunt statement. Go away? Gilbert never told him to just 'go away'. "Gil, are you feeling alright?" he asked in a quieter voice, reaching up to curl his fingers around the edge of the blanket and tugging lightly once again. He succeeded in coaxing the boy to remove the cover from his head, though he wrapped it tightly around his shoulders and refused to look in Oz's direction. The young Vassalius shuffled up closer to the boy, his knees almost touching Gilbert's back, and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning forward slightly to try and see the Nightray's face. "What's wrong?"

Gilbert continued to stare forward in silence for a moment, then simply said, "Nothing."

As if he would believe that. Although… He didn't look sick. Tired, yes, but not ill; when he had left the dining room the previous night he had looked pale, and his voice had been a little strained as a result of the cough he had contracted over the past few days. Now, Gilbert looked perfectly fine, his complexion natural, and breathing even… but he was clearly upset about something, the cold-shoulder aura that was entirely new for the dark-haired boy causing worry to bubble in Oz's stomach. "Did something happen?" he asked, to which Gilbert simply shook his head.

"Oz can… you just leave me alone, please? I'm not…" he saw something flash across the boy's eyes in that moment, before he closed them and released a defeated sigh, "I'm not feeling myself today…"

It physical hurt to hear that dejected tone in his servant's voice, an unpleasant tightening in his chest urging the young noble to squeeze Gil's shoulder lightly. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

Gilbert remained silent for a moment, unmoving, and a tension that had never polluted the air around the boy's before began to thicken and make its presence known. Oz frowned as the young servant cleared his throat forcefully and shook his head, "No, I'm sorry, I'm being stupid," he said in an even, controlled tone, before pressing his hands against the mattress and forcing himself into a sitting position, his blanket falling to pool around his waist as he brought his right hand up to rub his eyes. "I'm fine. I'm just having an off day."

"Gil…"

"I'm fine, really."

Something wasn't right here... Gilbert did not even glance in Oz's direction when he shuffled off the bed and moved to the wardrobe to collect some clean clothes, but the young Vassalius watched his friend intently. The change in his mood since last night was too drastic to ignore; what was going on? What was Gilbert hiding? Oz had been hoping that, if he kept his distance, the young servant would come to tell him what was wrong in his own time. Things just seemed to be getting worse, however, and rather than opening up, Gil was shutting himself in. Well, Oz wasn't leaving this room until he had some answers.

"Oz, I'm… going to change in the bathroom," Gilbert said quietly, moving, even as he spoke, towards the doorway that led to the rooms en suite, once again refusing to look at his master. He could almost feel Oz's suspicious gaze on his back, even after he closed the door behind him. Clutching his clothing to his chest, the young Nightray pressed his shoulder blades against the wooden door, taking a deep breath and attempting to calm his nerves. He had to get a hold of himself… How was he supposed to go through with this if he could not even _look_ at his master?

"_I have to find a way to convince him…"_ he thought as he pulled his loose nightshirt off, folding it neatly and placing it on the floor by his feet. He paused for a moment to eye the pendant that had been hidden beneath his shirt, feeling a tug at his heart when he remembered the reason he wore it. He then noticed the still-red injury tearing through the pale skin of his torso, and reached up to lightly touch the mar with his fingers. If he remembered the assault… if he remembered the pain… did that make the scar his own, even if he wasn't the one who felt it? He shook his head; he couldn't think about that now. The dark-haired teen pulled a plain white shirt on and quickly began to button it up, making sure to hide his chain beneath it before pulling on a black pair of trousers, "_I have to tell him… If I'm going to…" _he swallowed hard as his stomach dropped in expectant dread, _"If… I'm going to disappear anyway, I'd rather he didn't see…"_

"_You can do it_," he told himself, picking up his nightwear and turning to face the door. _"This… It's better this way..."_ he reached up and grasped the door handle firmly in his hand, and paused. _"You have to do this…"_ he thought, but that didn't mean he wanted to… He would have to convince Oz; if his master believed it was the right thing to do, then it would make it far easier for Gilbert to go through with it… He hoped.

"_Protect the master… Love the master... Think for the master and do your best for the master… Only then will you have significance as a human being…"_

That was what he believed… And in order to protect Oz, because he loved him, because he wanted what was best for him, Gil would go through with it.

For now, he would see Oz as his master, who he needed to love and protect.

Soul fragment or not, he knew that was the right thing to do…

**O-O-O**

When Gilbert had returned, Oz had sent for one of the maids and requested that some food be brought to the boy's room, silently indicating his intent to stay for as long as it took for his servant to open up to him. Gilbert sat quietly, for the most part, offering little to the conversation save a short nod or shake of the head, and a false smile that appeared to Oz to be very well practiced. That upset the noble greatly; he had never thought to gauge the honesty of his servant's emotions, because he was usually very easy to read, and so he took for granted that the boy smiled when he was happy, cried when he was sad, and that any attempt to hide these emotions would be easy for the young Vassalius to spot. Only now, when he paid attention, did he notice the mildest of twitches in the boys lip that betrayed his lie, the way that the servant's cheerful façade was marred only by the lifelessness of his eyes… His smile was so convincing, Oz could not help but wonder… how long had he been pretending?

After several minutes of a one-sided discussion about the weather, their breakfast, and other mundane topics, the pair fell into an uncomfortable silence. Oz nibbled quietly on one of the sandwiches Gilbert had refused to take from him, despite the fact it was one of his favorite kinds (he really didn't have an appetite; was that something he should worry about?). He glanced back and forth between his food and the young boy sitting beside him in the centre of the bed, his legs folded beneath him and his eyes focusing more on the window and ceiling than on the noble by his side. Just as he was about to comment on the teen's poor social skills, however, Gilbert cleared his throat quietly, catching his friends attention instantly, "Oz I-" he paused, and then corrected himself, "Young Master… I was thinking…"

Oz was slightly taken aback; he had known there was something strange about the way they had been speaking to each other (aside from the obvious discomfort), but only now did it strike him what that was. It should have been a positive thing, but the circumstances and his servant's strange mood only made the boy worry about the sudden change.

When… had Gilbert started calling him 'Oz'?

The boy fell silent once again, and Oz tried to encourage him be saying, in a questioning tone, "You were thinking…?" Gilbert frowned and looked back towards the window. His attitude was starting to bug the young Vassalius a little, but he decided to try and lighten the mood rather than make things more uncomfortable by complaining.

"Aww," he whined childishly, pouting, "Come on Gil; you have to tell me now!" he pressed the back of his hand against his head and raised the volume of his voice, his tone suddenly theoretical, "If I don't hear what you have to say, I will simply _die_ as a result of unsatisfied curiosity!"

Gil turned his head to look at Oz, his expression blank, "Oz-"

"And trust me," Oz continued with a grin, reaching out and poking his servant's cheek as he spoke, "that would be really messy."

Gilbert flinched away from the contact, "Oz, I think-"

"And _you_ would have to clean it up!"

"I think I should leave."

. . .

Wh… What?

The moment that Gilbert's words registered in his mind, the smile instantly vanished from Oz's face. "Leave?" he asked, his voice uncertain. What was that supposed to mean?

Gil nodded lightly, though the motion seemed to be done in order to shake his air own of discomfort rather than affirm what he had said to the young Vassalius sitting beside him. "I think I should leave," he repeated, his voice quieter, but no less firm. He looked at his master for a moment, but it was only a fleeting glance, his eyes quickly falling to his hands once again. "Leave the group, and the mansion, that is…"

"But…" Oz breathed, unable to hide the shock in his voice. Gilbert… wanted to leave? But… he… "Why would you want to…?" A thought struck him, "Where would you even go?" He couldn't leave if he had nowhere to-

"Pandora," Gil answered simply, staring down at his hands as he rubbed his palms together distractedly, "I mean… I've overstayed my welcome here in the Reinsworth mansion, the Nightray family doesn't even know I exist, and after I…" he paused, his fingers interlocking and clenching tightly, "after what I did to the Vassalius family, I swore I would never go back… So…"

The young noble waited for Gilbert to continue, but the boy had fallen silent once again. Oz was frozen, surprised by his servant's sudden declaration, his mind devoid of a single coherent thought. He hadn't expected this… He didn't know what he should do, or say, or even think. "But… you hate Pandora…" he said; Gilbert had been as good as tortured at Pandora Headquarters… What on earth was so bad that he would even _think_ of staying there? For a moment, there was silence, and then Oz breathed a quiet, "Why?"

Gilbert closed his eyes, simultaneously taking a deep breath, holding it for a moment, and then releasing it. When he turned to look at Oz his expression was blank, the emotion in his eyes unreadable, and the tone in his voice appeared completely detached as he uttered two, simple words... "Why not?"

The flippancy of the statement made Oz's heart thud painfully against his chest.

"You, Raven, Miss Alice…" Gilbert continued, eyes forcefully locked with Oz's own emerald orbs, "the three of you were able to travel and work together just fine before I arrived. I'm nowhere near as good as Raven at shooting, and I don't know anything about Chains, or how to fight, or anything like that. I'm not of any use to you… So it would probably be better if I stayed behind, right?"

Oz stared silently at his servant, unable to find words to describe the many thoughts and feelings rushing through his body at the moment. What… What Gil was saying, along with the tone in his voice, it was… wrong. So wrong… Nothing like it should be, or had been; when Oz had first gone to see him at Pandora, similar words had tumbled from the boy's mouth in a frantic, uncoordinated mess. He had been distraught, terrified that he was going to be left alone now that his master had others to be there for him in a way that only Gil himself had been in the past. But this time… This time he spoke flatly, as if he were simply stating facts, speaking with his mind and not his heart, like he always did. It was like he didn't even care…

Was this it? Was this what had been bothering his servant since he came back from Lebleux? Had he spoken to Raven about this? Had they reached some sort of understanding during this time, and decided to keep it between them? For a fleeting moment, Oz worried that perhaps Raven had somehow convinced (or threatened) the boy into wanting to leave… but his servant would never do something like that, so he quickly discarded that idea.

Then… was this all Gilbert's own decision? Had he secretly been thinking of leaving the group from the very beginning? The very thought made Oz's stomach twist uncomfortably.

Gil… was prepared to leave him…

But… he had promised… He had _sworn_ that he would remain with Oz forever…

"Gil…" he whispered, surprised when the simple utterance of the word caused Gilbert to quickly turn his head away, the controlled front he had been wearing flickering out of existence for a single moment… Long enough for Oz to see the veil of sadness in his eyes. Swallowing hard, the lump that appeared to have formed in his throat causing him to feel even more nervous, Oz took a deep breath, "Is it because you're unhappy here? Do you not want to stay with m-… with us?" With me… 'Just stay with me', Oz wanted to say. But… If the young servant really wanted to leave, then Oz would have to…

"I'm of no use to you," Gil said, refusing to face him, "You don't need me, and I'll only get in the way, so… I should stay."

"Do you want to?"

"It's for the best…"

"That has nothing to do with it!" Oz yelled, surprising both himself and his servant with his sudden outburst. He almost faltered when Gilbert's entire body flinched in surprise, but rather than pull back he used this new burst of energy to reach out and grip his servant's shoulder hard, tugging, trying to get Gil to face him. "I didn't ask you 'what was best', I want to know if this is what you want," he said in a controlled tone, refusing to remove his hand from the boy's shoulder when Gilbert tried to lightly shrug it off.

"I…" Oz noticed the small quiver in the young servant's voice, made worse when Gilbert clenched his fists hard, "I want you to agree with me…"

"Do you?"

"Yes…" A lie… Oz could tell, that was a lie… Why was he lying? "B-because… It's the right thing to do…"

He loosened his grip somewhat on his servant's shoulder, "How is this right?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Please Oz…" he whispered, his voice pleading, "Just… just agree with me…" _"Please don't make this harder… Please Oz… Please…"_

It didn't make any sense… Why did Gilbert want him to send him away, when it clearly pained him to do so? Did he really think that he was in the way, or that Raven's existence diminished his own importance? Perhaps part of him really did want to leave, so that he would not have to face these terrible thoughts…

Oz released Gil's shoulder, the young servant instantly twisting so that his back was facing his master, his body shivering with constrained emotion. Oz shuffled so that he was on his hands and knees on the bed, facing his servant, his mind racing.

Agree with him… He wanted Oz to agree, to send him away, to lose him…

But… Even if his servant wanted this, Oz just… He couldn't…

Gilbert gasped when Oz shuffled forward on his knees and reached out from behind him, wrapping his arms around the Nightray's shoulders and pulling him back against his chest. Oz lowered his head, pressing his forehead against the crown of Gil's head, and simply said, "No."

Gil's hands instantly shot to Oz's arms, tugging on the boy's sleeves, his breathing instantly quickening. "M-Master?" he breathed, surprised by the sudden position he was in, but also terrified. He… Oz had to let him go. He didn't want this (_"I want this…"_), it was wrong (_"It feels right…"_). He couldn't… if Oz didn't… then how would he be able to make himself-?

"I can't agree with you…" Oz whispered, feeling his face warm, shocked with how steady his voice was despite what he was saying. He wasn't good at dealing with his own emotions; his rash response to Raven's return was proof of that. But just like that time… he felt as if he was slowly losing his younger servant. And he couldn't let that happen… "I… I still need you, Gil."

"Oz…" Gilbert fingers clenched the material of Oz's shirt, his eyes shut tight and his voice strained, "P-please don't…" _"Don't make me want to stay… Don't make me stay, Oz… I'll only hurt you… Please, make me leave…!"_

Oz held onto Gilbert tighter, burying his face in the boy's hair and taking a deep, shaky breath. His heart felt like it was burning, his mind buzzing with numerous thoughts he found impossible to order. Gilbert wanted to be sent away. He wanted _Oz_ to send him away, but…

No. He wouldn't let go. He _couldn't_ let go. He couldn't let Gilbert leave because… Because… "I want you here with me, Gil…" he whispered, turning his head to rest the side of his face against the back of the servant's head, eyes shut tight. "I want you by my side, like you always have been. Like you always promised you would be." He couldn't think straight. It made him pause, uncertain. "Because_…" I love you… I need you… I can't imagine life without you in it._ He… couldn't say it… He wanted to, but the words were caught in his throat. "Because things… don't make sense without you…."

Gilbert felt his heart constrict, felt his face warm as emotion began to build within him, but he kept his eyes shut tight and shook his head. He couldn't… If his master wanted him to stay ("_Please let me stay…"),_ he could not go against the boy's wishes… Yet he had to leave, to protect Oz… _("Please let me go…") _"B-But," he tried, his voice weak and cracking with emotion, "You h-have Raven, he-"

"Raven too… Both of you…" Oz interrupted quietly, instantly silencing Gilbert. "I told you from the start… It doesn't matter if there are two Gil's. You're both very important to me. I… I care about both of you…" he swallowed hard and hugged Gil tighter, whispering, "I care about you very much…"

Gilbert was not foolish enough to miss the underlying meaning of those gentle words, the stronger feelings behind them, and the realization only made his heart want to tear in two. He loved Oz… His heart told him he was in love with him… But his head told him it wasn't his heart, these weren't his feelings, and he wasn't the person Oz thought he was talking to. If he wasn't Gilbert, then none of this (what he thought, what Oz felt, or thought he felt, what the blonde said) was real… But he could not stop his heart from pounding, nor his body from shivering as Oz's breath washed over his skin when the blond moved to rest his chin on Gil's shoulder.

"You're my best friend, Gil," Oz said softly, glimpsing sideways at the boy's face, which was lowered and hidden behind dark locks, "it doesn't matter if you're amazing or useless, or brave or cowardly, or whether you are weak or strong… You're still my servant, and my best friend, and…" he smiled and chuckled softly, lightly brushing the boy's left upper-arm with his right thumb, leaning his head against his servant's, "You're my Gil…"

Gilbert made a sharp intake of breath, eyes suddenly wide open. "Y-You're…" Gil… Gilbert… Nightray… Soul fragment… Seal… Pendant…

Young master… Oz…_ Oz…!_

It was suddenly difficult to breathe; what… should he think? What should he do? What was right, or wrong?

"So… please don't say you want to leave, Gil," Oz said, "I mean, if you really want to go, I can't stop you, but…" he allowed his eyes to slide closed again, choosing instead to listen to the sound of his servant's uneven breathing, something that convinced Oz that what he was about to say was the right thing. "Please stay, Gil. I want you to stay."

Gilbert released his master's arms and instead used his hands to cover his face, breathing heavily. All thoughts of convincing Oz to send him away vanished, replaced instead by a torrential wave of previously dammed despairing thoughts; why did he have to have this body? Why did Break have to tell him the truth? Why could he not be human, a whole soul, Gilbert…?

No… He couldn't… Now that Oz had said he wanted him to stay, he couldn't leave… But… he had to. He had to leave, or his master would be unhappy… But if he left now, after he had been asked to stay… He would be unhappy then, also…

He was happy Oz's wanted him, sad Oz only wanted Gilbert, who he was not, angry that he did not know what to do, terrified of making the wrong decision. He wanted to stay, but did he _really_ want to stay?

"Gil," Oz's voice sounded in his ear, concerned, "what is it? You're…"

"H-huh?" Gilbert blinked, horrified to find his vision blurred by a thin veil of unshed tears, his cheeks warm with a thin trail of escaped teardrops. What… was he doing?

Oz wasn't… He wasn't supposed to see him like this. He couldn't. He shouldn't. He would find out, and then he would never let Gil leave. He would try to help his servant, because that was the kind of person Oz was. He would fail. Gilbert would die. And Oz would get hurt.

He wasn't supposed to let Oz see…

Gil leaned forward, forcefully tearing himself from the blonde's embrace (Oz's hands tried to grip his shoulders to stop him, but he moved too quickly). He shuffled forward until he reached the edge of the bed and pushed himself to his feet, his entire body shaking with the effort to retain the tears that so desperately wanted to flow. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he stop himself? He hadn't cried in a long time. Not like this, and not in front of Oz…

"Gil?" Oz crawled forward and climbed off the bed himself, reaching out towards his servant's shoulder, but withdrawing his hand when his touch made the servant jump and step further away. When Gilbert turned to face him, the look of utter despair in the boy's golden eyes made Oz retreat a step. "Gil, what-?"

"This won't work…" Gilbert whispered, his face constricting and a soft sob escaping him, something he tried to suppress with a heavily gasp and an uncomfortable cough. "I-I c-can't when… I'm n-not-"

Oz stepped forward once again and attempted to grab the boy, suddenly terrified by his current state, but the Nightray quickly retreated several steps out of his reach, staring at him with large, sad eyes. "Gil," he said cautiously, fearful of every syllable that came out of his mouth, certain that if he said the wrong thing then Gilbert would break, "what's wrong?"

Gilbert only coughed, rubbing his sleeve across his eyes forcefully to remove the tears forming in them, unable to think straight… His heart was pounding, his body hot and shaking, and mind buzzing and stomach turning. He felt ill, and terrified, unsure of what he should do, how he could fix it, how he could protect Oz. He… had failed… and he couldn't take it. He couldn't face it. "I-I…" he stuttered, taking a step back. _Get away…_

"Gil?"

"I-I'm…" Get away… Get away… He had to get away… Away from Oz, away from the mansion, away from… "I'm sorry." _Everything_…

Oz's eyes widened when Gilbert spun on his heel and darted for the door, paralyzed for a moment too long in his surprise. By the time he had thought to chase the boy, his servant was already after pulling the door open and disappearing into the hall. "Wait, Gil!" he called, pausing at the door only to check which direction the boy had gone before racing after him. What was going on? What was wrong with Gil? Had he said something to upset him? But… he knew Gilbert had really wanted to stay… So then why…?

"Gil, come back!" he called after the boy, cursing when the teen rounded a corner and he lost sight of him. When he reached that very same corner and darted down the corridor, he found himself forced to stop as the path split into two, one going to the west wing, the other to the east. Gasping for breath from his sudden burst of energy, he looked down both corridors, but in neither could he see a single trace of his servant. His heart twisted in fear, though the exact cause of that fear he could not identify. Even if he was upset, Gil wouldn't do anything stupid, would he?

Oz remembered the look in his servant's eyes, that pure anguish, and called out for his servant as loudly as he could.

Gilbert heard him, but he did not stop. He raced down the stairway, dodging servants, his head lowered and his fists clenched hard as his feet pounded the floor, moving faster than he ever thought possible. Beneath his loose shirt, he could feel the pendant bouncing against his skin.

He had to get away… He couldn't take it anymore… The weeks of pretending, of lying, of hiding, it had all built up. Now Oz had said something that should have made him happy, extremely happy… But every touch, every gentle word, was like a stab to the heart, because he did not know if he even had the right to feel this way…

The hawthorn tree behind the mansion was as far as Gilbert could run before he had to stop, gasping for breath and he leaned heavily against the trunk. The pounding in his heart was certainly not natural; each beat felt like he was being punched from the inside by a hot, metal fist. He clutched the fabric of his shirt and slowly slid down to his knees, waiting for the pain caused by over exertion of his already weak body to subside.

Almost without thinking, he reached inside his shirt and pulled out the sealing pendant, staring at the item as it rested in the palm of his hand. _"This is the only thing keeping me alive…"_ he thought, collapsing against the side of the tree.

Oz was still looking for him… Oz was still worried about him… Even though he was just…

"_I shouldn't… Even be here…"_ he glared at the pendant, _"If I had never existed… Then Oz wouldn't have to…"_

If he had never existed...

In one, swift moment, Gilbert gripped the pendant tightly in the palm of his hand and tugged hard.

The chain around his neck snapped instantly.

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	23. Chapter 20

Why does this feel more like Gil/Raven story than an OzXGilbert/Raven one? ^_^; I miss writing Oz's confused, puppy-love thoughts and hormone-driven fantasies! ^_^ (I deleted so many of them throughout the story… ^/^)

Ah, the dreaded chapter; I'm just glad to finally have it out of the way ^_^; It took seven complete rewrites, and I'm still not really happy with it, but that's mostly because I didn't get to add certain scenes with Raven and Gilbert that I wanted, and because, though I like writing drama, I don't like it when I have to sacrifice imagery and action for dialogue… Still! This was the best of all seven, and completely necessary for the rest of the story, so I hope someone enjoys it at least a little :)

Once Oz and Gil have their reunion then we can have fun with either alcohol or Gil meeting the Nightray brothers ^_~

Thank you soooo much to everyone who read the last chapter! And **Suiseiseki, kyotoprincess, yami'sguardian, WhimsicalShmoo, YakuKikyo, **and **Ashla**, thank you so much for taking the time to leave me some feedback, I really appreciate it! ^_^

I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter; I hope to see you then! ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 20**

**O-O-O**

Raven knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of the carriage in front of the Reinsworth mansion. There was nothing in particular that would have led the Nightray to believe that anything was out of place; he arrived and was greeted at the door by the servants, like always. As it was noon, he found Sharon drinking tea in the garden, and, just like always, he was the one to receive a soul-piercing smile and sharp gaze for not delivering the treats she had requested on time, despite the fact it had been Break's errand, not his (he really had to stop doing favors for that one-eyed freak). And his encounter with Alice, who was munching on meat and walking around in clothes that he let her know were in desperate need of cleaning, resulted in the same empty threats, the same frazzled nerves, and the same insults that the pair appeared to share on a daily basis.

Nothing was out of the ordinary, and yet Raven _knew_ something was wrong…

It did not surprise him in the least that confirmation of his suspicions came as a result of locating his master.

Having heard that the blond noble had chosen to visit his 'sick' servant, Raven had been heading in the direction of Gilbert's room. However, he had only reached the bottom of the staircase leading to the second floor when he was halted by the sound of racing footsteps from above. Raising his gaze curiously, his eyes widened when he heard his master's voice echo from the corridors above.

"Gil! Where are you?"

Raven's heart leapt; Oz sounded frantic. Wait, 'where was he'? The kid had left his room? Where had he gone? Was something wrong? Had the pendant failed him already? Was he unwell or weakened, and forced to hide before Oz found him?

His racing thoughts slowed a few second later when his master appeared at the head of the stairs, stumbling to a halt when his eyes landed on Raven. The pair simply stared at one another, momentarily surprised by their sudden re-acquaintance, but before Raven could speak the young Vassalius was racing down the stairs towards him. "Oz, slow down! You might fall and hurt-"

"Gil's missing!" Oz interrupted, leaping the final three steps and landing heavily in front of his elder servant, the momentum of the act causing him to stumble forward into the man. Raven caught him, but Oz did not even pause to catch his breath, looking up at him with wide, concerned eyes. "He said he wanted to leave, and then he got upset and just… ran away," he said, his pained eyes leaving Raven to look left at right, as if expecting the find the boy nearby, "And I have no idea where he could have gone…"

Missing? _"Damn it, kid… What did you do?" _

"Don't worry," Raven said instantly, raising a hand to rest gently on top of his young master's head, and action he seemed to have grown accustomed to over the last few weeks, "we'll find him, we just need to stop and think… He couldn't have gotten far."

With a frustrated sigh Oz growled and turned to face his elder servant, the accusing stare the settled upon the man forcing him to resist the urge to flinch. "Gil, what is going _on_?" Oz asked, his voice unusually open, the worry, exhaustion and frustration in his heart clear in his strained tone.

Raven took a short, sharp intake of breath, an action that only caused the young Vassalius' eyes to narrow suspiciously. "What's going…?" he began, foolishly attempting to appear confused by the boy's words, but Oz's hand latched around Raven's forearm tightly, cutting the man short, and emerald eyes found his own golden irises almost immediately.

"This is stupid, Gil!" he almost yelled, "I know something's wrong, and I _know_ you have at least some idea about why he's has been acting so strange lately. Can't you tell me?"

Raven glanced down at his master's hand, clutching his wrist so tightly it had already begun to sting. "Oz, I…" He breathed, uncertain, watching his master's eyes light up in fearful anticipation; he was expecting information, but Raven could tell that part of him was afraid of the answer. What had Gilbert done or said that alerted Oz like this? His master wasn't the type to jump to conclusions, after all.

This was bad… There was no way that he could bring himself to break his promise to Gilbert; not only would it not be fair on the boy, but it would also cause a lot of potentially unnecessary worry for his master. If they waited a little longer, maybe they could find a way to fix Gilbert and there would be no more need for concern. Maybe telling Oz would only make things worse, more uncomfortable for everyone involved. Maybe it would be far easier to focus on curing the kid if they didn't have to worry about how they boy's master was fairing throughout the ordeal…

And perhaps a part of Raven was using all of this as an excuse, because he didn't want to be the one to tell the boy what was really happening. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the self-critical thoughts. This wasn't the time; he had to find the kid fast and figure out what was wrong with him, and fix the problem before Oz found out… "It's not my place to say," he answered honestly, feeling his heart twist at the sudden crestfallen expression that swept across his master's face, accompanied by a knowing spark in the boy's eyes; Raven's words may not have told the boy much, but they had confirmed that something was, indeed, wrong with Gilbert.

"Is it serious?" Oz asked, watching the Nightray's face for the slightest twitch that could offer him new information. Raven, however, simply repeated his intention to remain silent on the matter, then quietly added that he was certain Oz had nothing to worry about. The young noble frowned and slowly released Raven's wrist, noticing that the man instantly moved to rub the sore spot with his other hand before quickly forcing his arms to his sides. It was strange for Gil to be secretive like this… and though he had been aware that Gil have been hiding something from him for a while now, somehow the confirmation of the fact that his younger servant didn't seem to trust him enough to share his newest problem with him upset him. Just as the notion came to him, however, his entire thought process shut down, the sad eyes and broken expression of his best friend flooding back into his mind. Gil; whatever was going on, he had been upset, and had run away as a result. "Fine, forget it," he said, though he knew his mind would be constantly turning countless theories over in his head while he searched for the boy, "Let's just find Gil first."

Raven gave one sharp nod in agreement. "Right," he said, "You check upstairs, I'll check the grounds."

"Why would he be…?" Oz frowned, glancing back towards the stairs and wondering why on earth Raven was sending him back there. Had his mind not been filled with worried thoughts for the state of his servant, Oz probably would have had time to be suspicious, and to realize the possibility that Raven was trying to distract him, but instead several fragments of memories from their childhood came back to him in one jolt, causing his eyes to widen in realization. "The attic!" Raven hardly had time to agree with the teen's assumption before Oz was racing back up the stairs.

Not once did Oz look back towards his servant, nor Raven his master, once he turned and raced in the direction of the main entrance.

**O-O-O**

Yes… it was true that, back in the Vassalius mansion, Gilbert had often hidden in the attic when he was upset. No one ever looked for him there, because they were certain the timid, cowardly servant wouldn't want to hide in such a dark, dusty place full of rodents, spiders, and other scampering creatures. Bugs and mice had never bothered him, however, and so it had been the perfect place to be alone for a few minutes, before the desire to return to his master overpowered his wish to collect his thoughts and he raced back down to the boy's side.

Oz had eventually figured it out, but what the blonde didn't know was that the only reason Gil had stayed in the house at all was because he was terrified of the family cats finding him if he was outside. In truth, he preferred to be outside in the fresh air when his thoughts and feelings were bothering him (being inside, especially in the worst moments, felt suffocating to him), and that was why Raven was certain he would find the younger servant somewhere on the grounds rather than inside the building.

It was pure luck that he stumbled across Gilbert so quickly, however. Just by chance, he had chosen to check the area behind the mansion first, and had thought to get a better view of the grounds by climbing the hill that elevated shortly beyond the boundary of the flower garden. He hadn't expected to find Gilbert pacing back and forth beneath the shade of the tree that grew at the very top of the hill, and his unexpected find halted him in his steps.

The young servant didn't appear to notice him, continuing his silent trek back and forth with the palm of his right hand placed gently over his heart and his eyes locked on something in his left, his intense gaze the only thing that betrayed his otherwise calm appearance. A stray beam of light that shone through the trees caught the chain of the pendant in his hand and made it shine, telling Raven what it was, which instantly caused his heart skip a beat. _Why was it off? _The chain on the pendant was broken, and for a brief moment he hoped that that was the only reason it was not hanging around the boy's neck.

"Kid…?" he called, a little surprised when the boy's head quickly whipped around and his wide golden eyes locked with Raven's instantly. For a moment they simply stared at one another, a variety of unreadable emotions flashing through the young servant's eyes, before, suddenly, he turned and darted in the opposite direction to Raven. It took the elder Nightray a moment to realize what had happened before he ran after the boy, quickly catching up to him halfway down the hill and latching a hand around his upper arm. He dug his heels into the ground and tugged hard at the same time, pulling Gilbert back towards him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"L-let go!" Gilbert stuttered, pulling against Raven's hold as he struggled to get regain his footing after the man's harsh tug, "It has nothing to do with you!"

"Nothing to…?" Raven breathed, his disbelief clear in his voice. He growled and shook his head, once again tugging hard on the teen's arm, causing him to stumble towards him, "Don't be such an idiot!" What was going on? Had the news really hit the kid this hard? It shouldn't have happened this fast… And why on earth would he have even _thought_ of removing his pendant? "And calm down, you can't lose it like this or Oz will-!"

"Let go!" Gilbert snapped, succeeding in escaping Raven's hold this time, spinning around quickly and glaring at his elder self with fiery amber eyes, "And don't you _dare_ tell me to calm down!"

Raven grit his teeth, shocked by the sharp tone in the usually timid boy's voice, but far more determined to try and silence the kid so as not to draw attention to themselves; they had agreed that they should keep what was going on a secret, so as not to worry anyone unnecessarily. This was difficult for Gil, he knew, but he wasn't about to let the kid's emotions get them into some kind of trouble… though, judging from his encounter with Oz, it was probably a little late for that. "Well someone has to!" he retorted, "What were you thinking, running away like that? Do you _want_ Oz to find out?"

Gilbert narrowed his eyes, "Leave me alone, Raven."

"You stupid brat," Raven growled; didn't the kid realize he was going to ruin everything? "Stop being so selfish and-!"

Gilbert let out what sounded like a short bark of laughter, but the look on his face was a mixture of shock and smoldering rage. "Selfish?" he whispered harshly, before gritting his teeth and taking a step forward, fists clenched, glaring daggers into Raven's eyes, "_Selfish_?"

Instinctively Raven wanted to retreat a step, but he held firm, taking a quick breath and trying to keep his voice controlled. The look in Gil's eyes was… "I know it's hard," he said, "but you have to calm down or-" He was cut off as both Gilbert's fists rose and pounded hard against his ribcage, the surprise attack knocking the wind out of him momentarily.

"Shut up!" Gilbert yelled, advancing and shoving Raven hard, causing the coughing adult to stumble back several steps before he regained his balance, at which point he raised his gaze to stare at the child before him in shock. "You..." he growled, "You're the last person with any right to tell me what to do!"

Raven reached out to grab the boy's shoulder, an attempt to calm, to silence him, but Gil slapped his hand away. "You have no idea how I feel!" the teen yelled, "I don't… I don't even know who I am anymore!" he shook his head, eyes falling to the floor, his voice suddenly much quieter, "Forget that, I don't even know _what_ I am…"

"Kid, please," he said as he reached out for Gilbert once again, but this time he held his hand out with his palm upturned, a beckoning gesture that he hoped may encourage the boy to calm and reach out for him. Understandably, Gilbert was scared and confused, but this violent reaction was still far worse than he had expected. It had not even been a whole day! How had the boy unraveled so quickly, when he had been able to keep his illness secret for so long? Was the fear of death accelerating his decent into despair? Or was he simply in shock, and reacting on impulse, in need of nothing but a little comfort and guidance? "Listen to me, we…" he paused, unable to recall the words that had come to him so clearly on the carriage ride back to the mansion, "you're not-"

Ignoring Raven's words, Gil raised his fist and held the pendant, dangling from a broken chain, before him. "If **Raven** hadn't taken me out of Abyss I wouldn't even be here… and this thing is going to be the only reason I'm still alive when my energy runs out," he said, his voice cracking, "a-and for what? What's the point? I don't belong here… I don't belong anywhere!"

The tears that escaped the boys eyes then, unnoticed and unexpected, caused Raven to remain silent, even though his mind screamed at him to say something. _Anything_…

"No one outside Pandora and this mansion even knows I exist," Gil continued, his voice far quieter, but the even, unfaltering tone somehow made his words strike Raven deep within his core. "And even if they did, it wouldn't matter; _you_ are the Gilbert that the world knows, and the one everyone accepts…" Gilbert allowed his arm to fall to his side, "I'm… just in the way… I'm not needed, because you're here…"

Raven shook his head silently in disagreement, unable to find his voice when he needed it most. Gilbert looked completely lost, trapped inside a whirlwind of confused thoughts and emotions that he could not make sense of. And yet, what he was saying now… It was not something that he was just coming up with on the spot. He spoke with clarity, with a sort of resignation that let Raven to believe that these thoughts had to have been forming in the boy's mind for quite a while…

Raven clenched his own fists, his eyes falling to the ground, his heart suddenly smothered by a cloud of guilt for thinking the very thoughts Gilbert was voicing aloud when he had first met the boy…

_That thing can't be human._

_He doesn't belong here._

_We don't need him…_

"I thought it was ok…" Gilbert said, "because… As long as I was with my master, then nothing else mattered… but if…"

"Kid…?" Raven took a small step towards the boy; he could almost feel the swirling emotions within Gilbert's body, the confusion, the sadness, the fear… Perhaps it was a result of their connection... Or maybe it was because those very same feelings were beginning to stir in the pit of Raven's stomach.

"He's not my master… is he?" Gilbert swallowed hard and took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm his quivering voice. "I-I'm not… If I was just going to live to learn that he did not need me…" Gil's suddenly spun on his heel and walked a few brisk steps in the opposite direction, but halted before Raven thought to follow him, "If I was just going to wake up weak and useless… If I was going to be nothing but a broken servant that caused trouble for Oz, then… maybe it would have been better if I'd died in the Abyss…"

"Stop talking like that!" Raven yelled, advancing on the boy.

Gil spun around to face his elder self, his pendant still glittering in the sunlight from where it hung from his right hand. "I love him, Raven!"

Raven was certain his heart had stopped for a moment, his entire form freezing at the young boys outburst.

'_Wh… what?'_

He had known… but to hear the words out loud, and to see the pain in the boy's eyes, it was just…

"I'm in love with him!" Gilbert yelled again, ignoring the way his elder self instantly glanced around to make sure no one could hear them. It seemed like such a tiny, pathetic thing to worry about that the action only angered Gilbert further, adding to the already overflowing pool of emotions that had his entire body racing, his thoughts frantic and uncoordinated. Part of his mind screamed at him to be silent, that he didn't really want to say these things, that he was burdening someone else, that he wasn't worth it… but several weeks of pent-up emotion was forcing these feelings from his body. He had been hiding this… he had been keeping it to himself for so long that, now that he had begun to speak, he could not stop, "It hurts when I see you with him!" he confessed, pressing his hand against his heart as the very thought of Oz and Raven together caused it to twinge painfully, holding back fresh tears that brimmed in his eyes._ Why could he never stop them?_ "I know that's what he wants, and I know he would be happy… I want him to be…" he took a step forward and clenched the material of his shirt, "But it hurts, Raven!"

It hurt so much…

Raven knew…

When he saw Oz with Alice… at a time when he was certain his master had fallen for her… and later, when he saw his master and his younger self laughing together… it had _physically_ hurt…

"It hurts…" Gilbert said, his softening eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and confused rage, and the urge to reach out and touch the boy, to offer him some form of comfort, multiplied within Raven. "And… he's…" he swallowed hard, gaze falling to the floor, "He's all I have, Raven… I-If I'm not his servant, then what am I? If I'm not… then, I don't have a reason to live, do I…?"

Raven took a step towards Gilbert, wondering what he should say, what he could do to help… And he also wondered when he had begun to care so much about the boy before him.

"But… that…" Gilbert muttered, his tone uncertain, as if the words he spoke were simply his inner thoughts now revealing themselves to him for the first time, "Thinking like that doesn't make sense… if these feelings aren't mine, and I don't really love him, then why does it hurt so much?" He shut his eyes tight, "I shouldn't be able to feel like this… I don't wa-nt t-to…" he raised his arm and pressed it against his eyes, sniffling loudly as he tried to remove the forming tears. He didn't want to… but… he… He knew in his heart he would rather that pain, that horrible, _horrible_ pain, caused by his feelings for Oz, than to feel nothing for the boy at all. Even if it hurt, even if it was torture, he wanted to continue loving Oz… It felt as natural to him as breathing. It made him feel real. It made him feel _human_. But then his mind told him that…. if he was just a soul fragment… "I j-just don't understand… I don't know what to f-feel… or think… I'm angry, and upset… and I'm... just…"

Raven reached out towards the child, his movements slow and deliberate, waiting for Gilbert to notice how close he was before allowing both hands to hover just millimeters above the boy's shoulders.

"I-I'm just a… but I don't know…" Gilbert gasped, eyes fluttering open for a moment, but quickly closing again when he noticed Raven was standing directly in front of him, flinching when the man's hands came to rest on his shoulders. _"No… Don't…"_ Gilbert thought, willing his mouth to form the words, but the only sound that escaped him was a flow of shaky, uneven breaths, becoming shorter and less controlled by the second. Raven shouldn't treat him like this… Raven shouldn't treat him as human… because he wasn't… Even though he felt, and thought, and acted human, he wasn't a human, and people shouldn't care… _He_ shouldn't care… No one should_…_

_He could feel something within him responding, pulling him towards Raven, even as his mind wished to distance himself…_

He was going to die, disappear, and it didn't matter because he was just a fragment… Gilbert grit his teeth and clenched his fists weakly, unable to put force in the simplest of actions as tears tried to escape his eyes.

He didn't belong in a world that already had Gilbert Nightray… perhaps this was nature's way of making things right…

But, despite all of that… despite _knowing_ all of this…

Gilbert's hands slowly rose, his head still lowered, the pendant laced between his fingers. "I-I don't…"

Raven's eyes softened, a sudden rush of familiarity, of empathy with the boy before him, causing his heart to thud hard in his chest, and the tread of restraint around his actions to dissolve. He allowed Gilbert to lay his hands softly against Raven's chest, pressing lightly for a moment as the teen second-guessed his actions, but the gentle squeeze Raven gave his shoulders reassured him.

Many times, over many years, he had felt lost, and afraid, and confused. Despite having his brother by his side, he had always felt alone. No matter how much he proclaimed otherwise, no matter how much he tried, there was no way the Vincent could possibly understand Gilbert's feelings. He couldn't offer his elder brother the sort of comfort he so badly wanted in those times…

But Raven understood Gilbert perfectly, and so it did not surprise him when the boy clenched the elder Nightray's white shirt in his fists, nor did he flinch when the teen leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the space between his hands, taking sharp, shaky breathes as the last of his restraint began to crumble.

"I…" Gilbert sniffed, his body instantly weakening and leaning heavily against Raven. He felt his throat constrict angrily, but he could not halt the words that wanted to escape. "I don't want to die, Raven…" he admitted in a whisper, feeling the dark-haired mans left hand slip lightly from his shoulder to his back, the gentle act somehow wrenching a quiet sob from him. "But I don't… A-and I shouldn't-!"

When Raven's arms slipped around his body and pulled him close, Gilbert's already precarious tower of emotion disintegrated. His knees gave out from beneath him, but Raven held him upright in his strong arms. He buried his face in the man's chest, hiding, as he began to sob uncontrollably into the elder servant's shirt. Slowly, without releasing his hold, Raven lowered the weakened boy to his knees, kneeling down on one knee in front of the boy so that he did not break contact with him.

This was wrong…

_This was so wrong…_

"I-I shouldn't be l-like this…" Gilbert choked out. Part of him urged him to apologize for his actions, while another, stronger part thought only of releasing his tears.

How?

How could this fear, this fear of death, be fake? How could this pain _not_ be real? How could these tears be something fabricated from anything but true emotions?

"Wh-what am I?" he cried, shaking his head and pressing his forehead harder against Raven's chest, "Why do I feel like this? What's the point?"

Raven's right hand rose and pressed gently against the back of his head. "You feel like this," he said simply, "because you're upset."

The words only made Gilbert cry harder, but Raven remained strong in his appearance, even though he wanted nothing more than to share the boy's pain, to yell and curse Abyss for giving him a weak body.

But this wasn't just about his weak body…

Certainly, Raven himself had, in the beginning, believed that Gilbert did not belong in this world; as the one who had grown up in this world, Raven had felt he had been the one that belonged. Gil was the intruder, and he had wanted to remove him from his life as soon as possible. That perspective had changed as he got to know the boy, but Gil had seemed so content to be in everyone's company that Raven had not believed the boy to be troubled with such thoughts.

But, looking back, he now realized that 'content' was not the word to describe the boy's interactions with the rest of the world.

The excessive tolerance of Alice's actions, the polite attitude to everyone he met, the way he did all he could to stay out of trouble and avoid conflict, the insistence on call Oz 'Young Master', on aiding the blonde noble, on being there for him and doing everything in his power to help him… These were all ways in which he tried to find a place for himself in a world he did not belong to. He established his entire existence on his identity as Oz's servant, and was happy to do so…

But the time difference, the identity issues, his feelings for Oz, the way he hid them and sacrificed them, because he wanted to do the right thing for his master… It had all built up over time… Being called a soul fragment had been the final straw, tearing him from his identity and, therefore, from his only connection to this world, the only purpose in life… His master.

Raven knew of his own, insatiable desire to be needed… It was part of the reason he had spent ten whole years looking for a way to save his master. If he thought that his connection with Oz was suddenly severed, he didn't think he would be able to handle it…

"You shouldn't have kept this to yourself…" he whispered, but was instantly relieved that Gilbert had been crying too hard to hear him. Shouldn't have hidden it… Wouldn't he have done the exact same thing? And who was there for Gilbert to talk to? Alice, Sharon and Break could not help him, he would never worry his master with his feelings, and Raven himself had been cold towards him until recently. _"He really has been alone…" _he thought sadly, allowing his hand the gently smooth the teenagers hair and his other arm to tighten its hold around him.

For several minutes, he simply held Gilbert in silence, allowing the boy to cry. When the young servant coughed and tried to push himself away from Raven, he did not relinquish his hold on the boy. "R-Raven?" Gilbert stuttered, his voice strained, betraying the tears still flowing down his face.

In response, the elder Nightray took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before simultaneously releasing it and loosening his hold on Gilbert. With one arm still draped lightly across the boy's back, he lifted his hand and placed it, instead, on the crown of Gil's head, eyes raised to the sky as he spoke. "Listen to me…" he said, suddenly uncomfortable, "You're not… You and I, we… we're both…"

He'd planned this; he'd thought through the situation and decided exactly how he would explain it to the kid, but now that he had the chance to do so he found the words stuck in his throat. Frustrated with his fractured speech he paused, took another deep breath, and began again.

"I'm not a whole soul either, kid," he said bluntly, the statement causing Gil to gasp lightly, to hold his breath as if he believed himself to have misheard what the elder man had just said. "Ten years ago, I lost a piece of myself…" Raven continued, pausing awkwardly as he began to doubt the strength of his own words, certain Gilbert would misinterpret what he was trying to tell him, but unwilling to remain silent long enough to allow the child's thoughts to wander further down the dark path they were currently residing in, "But… Incomplete or not, I moved forward, and… it has been through my experiences from that moment until now that have made me the person I am today… I know that even if… Even if I am not 'Gilbert', if the Gilbert we were died the moment that we were separated, I still know that in the past ten years I have become Raven. I am the adoptive son of the Nightray family, contractor to **Raven**, servant to Oz Vassalius… And I am all these things because of the choices I have made, not because of where I came from… And it is the same with you."

Gilbert raised his head despite the light pressure Raven placed on it in order to keep his eyes downcast, allowing his large, blood-shot eyes to glimpse his elder self through a veil of unshed tears. Sensing the boys interest – his desperation – Raven steeled himself and lowered his gaze to Gil's, forcing his voice to remain steady and confident in an attempt to convince the boy that what he said was true, "You have made choices I never had to. You've seen and done and felt things I never did. How I see this world, and how you do, are two completely different things, so how could we possibly be the same person?"

Gilbert swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment, uncomfortable with the sustained eye contact, with the seriousness and determination of Raven's piercing gaze. Why? Why was Raven doing this? He _was_ Gilbert, wasn't he? He may have lost a piece of himself, but it was only a piece. He still had his human body, he still lived Gilbert's life, while Gil… He was connected to this world simply because he was a collection of memories…

_Wasn't he?_

When Raven continued he glimpsed upward once again. "My name is Raven… And you…" he paused for a moment, a small smile pulling at his lips, "are the annoying, idiotic and over-sensitive brat that I met all those weeks ago in Pandora, who came into our lives without warning and turned everything upside down."

The elder servant saw mild distress flash behind Gil's eyes, heard a short intake of breath. He smiled, watching the boy's gaze shift to a sort of guarded bemusement at the action. "You're the one who pestered me constantly about learning how to shoot, and even how to cook. You're the one who taught Alice how to shoot, putting all of us in mortal danger in the process. You're the one who revived Oz's prankster side, at the expense of everyone else," he chuckled slightly as he noticed the child's eyes sparked defensively at his constant berating. "And you," Raven said as he released Gilbert and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, pushing him away from his body so that he could look into his bewildered eyes, "are the one Oz is looking for right now, who he's worried about…" he glanced sideways shamefully, "You're the one who took care of him when his stupid servant ran away… And the one who made that idiot see sense and brought him back…"

"Raven…" Gilbert breathed, but the elder Nightray simply shook his head slightly.

"Make no mistake, kid," he said, "you are _not_ just a reflection. You're your own person, with your own thoughts and feelings… Even if you don't think that you're Gilbert," he turned his attention back to Gil, steeling himself and making sure to look him directly in the eye when he said, "you still cannot deny that you are Rook."

Gilbert physically started when Raven said that, his eyes suddenly wide. "Ro…?" he whispered, his mouth forming several words he could not voice, before he shook his head and stuttered, "B-but that… I'm not…"

Raven tightened his hold on Gilbert's shoulders, his expression determined, "'Rook' is the name of the kid that came out of Abyss several weeks ago… _Not_ of the boy that existed ten years ago. Even if Gilbert doesn't exist anymore, I know without doubt that Rook is the boy who has lived with us these past weeks…"

Gilbert was shaking slightly as Raven spoke, leaning back slightly so that he could sit back on his heels. He clearly hung on Raven's every word, but he appeared unsure about how he should feel about what his elder self was saying. It felt strange (and a little embarrassing) to call the kid by that strange nickname that he had sworn he would never actually use to refer to the boy… but 'Rook' was entirely separate from 'Gilbert', a name and identity that that kid could link himself to, so maybe...

"And Rook," Raven said as he released the boy's shoulders, leaning forward slightly as he placed his hands on the ground, pushing himself to his feet so that he was towering over the younger servant, "isn't going anywhere, not if I have anything to say about it…" He tried to ignore the way Gilbert stared at him – was he shocked? Happy? Upset? – and stretched his right hand out towards the boy, "We made a promise, after all."

Gilbert's eyes fell from Raven's face to his outstretched hand, and then back again. His own hands twitched slightly, as if wishing to reach out for Raven's, but they remained on the boy's lap. He was… Rook?

Rook… the person who had existed since escaping Abyss…

Yes… His mind and heart reached out towards that simple concept, grabbing it with both hands and desperately absorbing it into himself, disregarding all doubt in a desperate attempt to feed that tiny fragment of hope that had been almost smothered beneath his previous, darker thoughts. He could accept that, another identity… something that allowed him to exist… But… "P-promise?" When had he…?

"'Forever.'"

The single word caused Gilbert's racing thoughts to crash to a halt, and he stared at Raven with a mixture of shock and restrained hope. Forever… _Their promise_… Why… was Raven…?

"W-why?" he breathed, "Why are you doing this?" Raven frowned slightly at his words, uncertain of their meaning, his hand still outstretched. Gilbert shook his head slightly in disbelief. "That promise… It… it's what makes you and Oz…" It's what connects them. What defines them. The first true expression of love and loyalty the younger Gilbert had shown his master… "Why would you share something so important with…" _'Me?_' How? How could he possibly want to share his promise, his bond with Oz,,,?

Raven sighed and, no longer waiting for Gilbert to respond, reached down further, grasping the boy's hand in his own and gently helping him to his feet. "Why?" he asked as Gilbert stumbled slightly before regaining himself, staring at the floor. "It's because we promised 'forever' _together_… We may be different now, but that promise is still ours to keep…" He reached up and flicked Gilbert hard in the forehead, earning a quiet grunt from the teenager before he raised his gaze to meet that of his elder self once again. "Understand?"

It made sense… Gilbert wasn't certain if that was because it was true, or because he was simply willing to accept any logical answer that satisfied his desires, but at this moment… Raven appeared so certain, and so calm. He spoke of his own existence, and that of Gilbert, without any doubt, and that certainty was like a wave that smothered the young servant's doubts almost instantly. How… in just a matter of minutes, Raven had completely changed his perspective on the entire situation. But his eyes were still burning, his body shaking, and that heavy feeling of dread that resided in his stomach continued to weigh him down, striking hard as a thought occurred to him.

"What if I can't?" he asked quietly, blinking hard when his vision blurred once again. Even if he accepted everything Raven had said, it didn't change the fact that his body was deteriorating… No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted to stay with Oz, if his body could not survive, then… "I'm not like you, Raven… I don't think… I'm not strong enough t-to-"

Raven chuckled, inadvertently interrupting Gilbert and causing the young servant to stare at him in confusion. "Strong?" he asked, "You're the first to ever say that about me." With a sigh and a soft shake of his head, Raven turned his head in order to look towards the mansion, though it was difficult to see from where they stood on the slanted hill. "I know you're scared…" he said after a moment of silence, "but that's completely normal. Being strong, or brave, it has nothing to do with being fearless; it's about being afraid, but continuing on regardless. You won't be alone… I'll help you, so…" he glanced sideways at Gilbert, "do you think you can hold on until we find a way to fix this?"

Gilbert raised his arms and hugged himself lightly, trying to quell his shivering form and even his breathing, taking deep, slow breathes. He was grateful for what the elder servant was trying to do, and failed to restrain that painful yet pleasant feeling that alighted within him as a result of the man's words, but… He just couldn't understand it… He didn't know why Raven was being so kind to him.

"Besides…" Raven muttered, turning so that he was now completely facing the direction of the main house, his back to Gilbert. Then, as if having read the boy's mind, he said, "I've sort of gotten used to having you around."

Gilbert blinked and raised his head, staring at Raven's back.

"I mean, who would distract the Stupid Rabbit when she gets out of control?" Raven's voice was louder now, less careful and much more strained, and Gilbert found himself incapable of suppressing a small smile as he realized that the man, who only moments ago stood before him as the epitome of nonchalance, was flustered. "I don't get how you do it, she doesn't even listen to Sharon sometimes. A-and Oz can't prank me as much anymore because he's got you to mess with. And-"

"Okay…" Raven appeared thankful that his rambling was interrupted, glancing back towards Gilbert as the boy tightened the grip his fingers hand on his upper arm, nodding lightly. "I'll… try…"

There were a million things Raven could have said or done in response to that… He could have thanked the boy for agreeing (the simple act, regardless of the honesty of the boy's intent, loosened the knot of worry in his chest), encouraged him, ruffled his hair and given him words of encouragement and comfort… but for some reason, a silent nod was more than enough. Gilbert smiled weakly, which, along with the way he held himself, suddenly reminding Raven just how exhausted the teenager must me. Instantly, his mind filled with every kind of home remedy for sleeplessness he knew, and he mentally kicked himself for his apparently innate 'mothering tendencies', as Oz called them…

Still, the kid needed rest, and he seemed to have calmed down enough. With a nod towards the mansion he shot a questioning glance at Gilbert, watching as several conflicting emotions appeared to express themselves in his features at once, before the boy nodded and stepped forward, the elder Nightray pausing him just long enough to remove the pendent Liam had given him that morning from around his neck and slipping it around Gilbert's instead, taking the broken one from the boy's hand and slipping it into his pocket. This exchange was done silently, the pair sharing a look of relief when it appeared Gilbert's body had not needed to adjust to the new pendant, before they turned and walked in the direction of the mansion, Raven leading the way with Gilbert following several steps behind. _"I hope Oz is still upstairs…"_ he thought, stumbling slightly as he stepped on a piece of uneven ground at the bottom of the hill, pausing for a moment to allow Gilbert to catch up with him, _"I don't think the kid could talk to him right now… And neither could I, come to think of it…"_ They were going to have to imagine one creative cover story for this one…

He almost stopped when he felt a gentle tug on his jacket, but looked back towards Gilbert as he walked instead, blinking in confusion at what he saw.

Gilbert's head was lowered, his left arm still clutching his right forearm tightly… but his right hand was clasped around one of the belts that hung from the back of Raven's coat, reminding the elder Nightray very much of a small child that was afraid of being separated from its parent.

After several steps, the dark-haired man realized Gilbert had no intention of letting go… He continued to hold on even when they entered the mansion, servants discouraged from their curious stares and questions by the sharp look Raven sent them. Neither spoke a word to one another, but there was no need to.

The young servant had not accepted everything that the elder Nightray had just said to him. Another identity, a shared promise (something Raven had offered with shocking ease despite the fact he had initially opposed any connection the boy shared with his precious master)... It was a lot to take in, at least for a boy who less than an hour ago, in a rush of confused emotions, had been prepared to denounce his entire right to life, and the initial excitement and desperation that had led to the boy absorbing his words had faded quickly, allowing doubt to seep back in.

Reaching out for Raven was a sign that he wanted to believe him, though, and for the elder Nightray that was almost as good as accepting. He understood that the young servant needed this tiny, seemingly insignificant security of holding onto someone as a means of anchoring himself and his thoughts. He knew Gilbert had felt lost and alone for so long, despite the fact he had always been around people, and that the simple act of connecting himself to Raven brought huge relief to the boy. And Raven also knew that Gilbert finally, truly trusted him, enough to look to his elder self for comfort without restraint.

"You know Oz will come looking for you…" Raven whispered when they finally entered Gilbert's room, as if afraid to break the silence between them.

"That's fine…"

Raven blinked in surprise, turning to face the boy, though he remained slightly sideways because Gilbert had yet to release his grasp on Raven's belt. "Are you sure?" he asked, to which the young servant merely nodded. He certainly didn't _seem_ ready to face his master just yet… "Maybe you should get some sleep and let me talk to him," he offered, though part of him prayed he wouldn't have to approach his master and face his questions.

Gilbert smiled slightly and risked a glance upward, "You know he wouldn't believe you."

Raven scoffed, "As if he'd believe you, either. You're a terrible liar."

"I'm better than you."

"_Sure_ you are…" Raven rolled his eyes in exaggerated sarcasm, trying to hide the fact that he knew it was true. The brat could hide a lot more than he could, that was certain. "Look, I'll tell him you're resting, but I can't promise that will keep him away. You know what he's like."

Gilbert hummed softly in agreement, still smiling, looking up at Raven though his head was still lowered slightly.

"And stop looking at me like that," Raven said, reaching down and pressing his left index finger against the boys forehead, "you look like some sort of love-sick puppy, and it's creeping me out."

That made Gilbert chuckle and shake his head with a soft 'sorry', his hand finally releasing Raven's belt as the boy took a step away from the man and out of his path to the door. Taking that as a signal, Raven turned in the direction of the entrance, but raised his hand and pointed at Gilbert meaningfully, "If I manage to keep Oz away, try and sleep, okay kid? You look like death."

Gilbert made a face. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Raven smirked, moving towards the door at the same moment Gilbert began to move towards the window, taking up residence in the armchair near it until he knew whether or not his master would be visiting him. Raven paused in the doorway, frowning at the sudden, thoughtful look on the boy's face as he gazed out the window, the subtle signs of worry already washing over his form. So much for relaxing…

Gilbert rested his palms on the edge of the arms of the chair he sat in, drumming his fingers against the exposed wooden section of the furniture. _Rook_, huh? He had never thought, when Raven had suggested that name to him at the time, that it would come to mean something so important to him… It was true, that he could be Rook, even if he wasn't Gilbert…

Everything Raven had said seemed to speak directly to Gilbert's concerns… It all appeared so clear and simple to him now, and he could not help feel a little foolish for breaking down the way he had… Why had he actually told Raven about his feelings for Oz? He had done so without thinking, releasing another bottled up secret and concern while caught in the moment. He had barely admitted that to himself, and now he had screamed it for anyone within earshot to hear… He shouldn't have let himself lose control like that. He had even hit the man that had been trying to help him! He would have to apologize for that later…

…'

They 'promised together'… What did that mean, exactly?

Did that mean that, when they were together, then… They _were_ Gilbert?

Maybe… The very possibility gave Gilbert a strange mixture of delight and doubt, but he didn't have time to think about that right now… Raven was going to tell Oz that he'd found him, and then he would have to talk to his master about what had just happened… What should he say? Should he explain everything to him? He cast that thought aside the moment it entered his mind… but… What should he-?

He yelped slightly when something struck the top of his head lightly, his vision momentarily blocked by something dark.

"Don't stress… R-Rook."

"Wh-what?" Gilbert stuttered, pushing the material out of his eyes and quickly turning to ask Raven why he was still here, but he only saw the end of the gunman's long jacket disappearing into the hallway before the door closed behind him.

Confused, he reached up to pull the blanket Raven had thrown on him off his head.

But… It wasn't a blanket at all…

It... was Raven's hat.

Gilbert's eyes widened at the realization.

His _hat_? _The_ hat? The one thing he never, ever willingly let anyone but Oz touch? Why had he…?

Gilbert reached up and lightly ran his fingers along the rim of the hat that was a little too large for his head, unable to stop the bright smile that spread across his face, nor the happy feelings bubbling up within him, worry dissolving in an instant despite the fact he knew he should be concerned about his master. He clutched the rim at either side of his head and pulled the hat down more firmly onto his head, leaning back and pulling his legs up to rest on the edge of the chair. In the distance, he heard Oz calling his name, followed shortly by Raven's voice calling out for the young noble. Gilbert pulled the hat down so that it hovered over his eyes, still smiling.

Raven was kind… Raven was _so_ kind… And he probably had no idea just how much he had done for Gilbert…

He gave him a name… He gave him a purpose… He gave him hope, and encouragement, and support… He shared his identity with Gilbert, his life, his _promise_…

The young servant wiped tears from his eyes… but this time, they were tears of gratitude.

"_Thank you so much… Raven…"_

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	24. Chapter 21

Writers block really is the worst :( I'm so sorry for the long wait, everyone! I'll try and get the next chapter up faster… Since it's a fun chapter it should be out faster. ^_^ Also, sorry for getting a little carried away with a chapter that should have been short; I hope it's still an enjoyable read for somebody out there~! ^_^

**Kalana Fox, xxxMs. Von Grimmxxx, mooncat011, WhimsicalShmoo, Suiseiseki, xClownOfPandora, Walking On D r e a m s, XwhiteXspiritXalchemistX, kyotoprincess, YakuKikyo,** and **yami'sguardian**, thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter! I really appreciate your feedback! ^_^ I wonder how many people support RavenXGilbert? Quitr a few, by the looks of it ^_^ (Sorry! I won't be pairing them! ^_^;)

Anyway! On with the chapter!

Watch out for foreshadowing ^_^

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 21**

**O-O-O**

Oz had never been a patient person; even as a child, his energetic, mischievous personality meant that his attention span for the mundane was rather short, and he had not been afraid to complain loudly of his boredom, even to his teachers. Granted, when he was required to wear the persona of a respectable noble, he was every bit the patient, polite, understanding young man, who never so much as raised his voice or narrowed his eyes in discontent at being forced to wait for his company to arrive, or sit through a terribly dull dinner party, but that was all just a front. Inside, Oz was always restraining the urge to tear his hair out and scream for fear of going mad from boredom. The only person who ever noticed this, who _ever_ seemed to notice anything about him, was Gilbert.

"You hated that," the young boy would say with an amused smile, and when Oz would cast him a questioning glance, certain of his convincing act, the young servant would simply shrug and say, "You do little things when you're annoyed, like twirling your fork, or kicking the legs of your chair."

"How would you even notice something like that?"

"I don't know, I just… do…"

No, patience had never been one of Oz's strong points, and this was made quite plain to everyone who was seated with him in the dining room. Even the usually clueless Alice cast him an annoyed glare at the way he continuously glanced towards the door, drumming his fingers on the table and shuffling in his seat, as if unable to find a comfortable way to sit. In a rather un-Oz-like fashion, he was finding it incredibly difficult to hide his feelings from his friends, but this was also one of the few occasions where boredom was not the driving force behind his agitation. No, Oz was unable to sit still because his mind would not remove that single image from his sight, that of his young servant, his best friend, staring at him with large, broken eyes, his voice strained and sad, tears running down his face…

Sharon had commented airily about his edginess, but when she had received no response she decided to focus her attention on Alice, instead. Raven hardly dared to raise his head from his food, just in case he would receive yet another sharp glare from his master. It hadn't surprised him that Oz had wanted to go and speak with Gilbert the moment he knew the boy had been found and returned to his room, but Raven had insisted that he leave the young servant alone so that he could get some rest. Oz had then turned on him, demanding to know what had happened, what was wrong with Gilbert, and why they had both been so secretive lately, but Raven had simply shaken his head and, once again, insisted that Gilbert was fine, and that it was the young Nightray's place, not his, to tell Oz why he had been upset, and only when he was ready to do so.

Oz felt a little guilty for storming away from Raven then, but part of him wondered if it would have been better if he'd yelled at his servant instead. He probably wouldn't have been able to force the man to tell him the truth, but, if nothing else, he might have been able to release some ofthis pent up tension that was preventing him from relaxing and simply waiting for his servant to come to him, which he knew the boy would eventually do.

He just couldn't do it… He could just sit there and pretend that nothing had happened.

He remained in the dining room for a good half an hour, but then he was unable to restrain himself anymore. Frustrated, he slammed his hands hard on the table and pushed himself to his feet, making his way towards the door and purposefully ignoring the questions thrown after him by his chain and hostess.

Raven did not say a word, and Oz knew that was because the man realized any attempt to stop him would be futile.

"What's up with him?" Alice grumbled when Oz had disappeared from sight, dropping back into her chair and crossing her arms moodily, "He's been acting weird all day! Why? Is it because the Little Seaweed-Head ran away?"

"It would seem that Master Oz was upset about that, yes," Sharon nodded politely, to which Alice scoffed.

"Why? It's not like he disappeared for days like Seaweed-for-brains over there," the chain said, jerking a thumb in Raven's direction and ignoring the disapproving look that Sharon was sending her way (in defense of etiquette, rather than Raven). "Are men just stupid or something?"

Sharon smiled sweetly, "Well…"

"Sharon, please don't teach her to be sexist…" Raven grumbled, downing the rest of his coffee in a single gulp. "She's hard enough to deal with already…"

"What's 'sexist'?" Alice asked, "Can I eat it?"

Raven slapped a hand against his forehead, "Why is it that whenever you hear a new word you assume its food?"

"Because food is important, and I shouldn't have to learn new words if they're not important to me!"

"Stupid Rabbit…" Raven grumbled under his breath, but very quickly grabbed the tray from the end of the table and used it to protect himself from the flying cutlery and fruit that Alice continued to toss in his direction_. "I should have just kept my big mouth shut; you can't argue with an idiot."_ He thought, eyes drifting towards the door his master had exited through mere minutes before. _"I hope they'll be ok…"_

"Miss Alice, don't throw that!"

"Huh?" Raven lowered the tray for a moment, but only for a second, because suddenly there was a large plate being hurled like a disk towards his head. It came into contact with the tray and smashed, shards of shattered glass flying in all directions, some of which struck his fingers that held the tray and cut him. "Ah!"

"Ha ha!" Alice laughed, punching the air and completely ignoring the distraught noblewoman by her side who was staring at her beautiful china, now in pieces, "Victory is mine!"

Raven clenched his fists, winced from the pain the action caused, and glared at the young girl, "You… Stupid Rabbit!"

"Seaweed Head!"

"Useless chain!"

"Pathetic manservant!"

"My china…"

**O-O-O**

Oz didn't even knock when he eventually arrived at Gilbert's door; he simply grabbed the handle, twisted, and stormed into his servant's room without thinking, tossing the door back once he was passed it and pausing only when it slammed shut with a loud bang. Gilbert must have been asleep, because the loud noise almost caused the young servant to leap out of the armchair he had been resting in before turning sharply to face Oz, blinking hard as if to clear his vision. Oz swallowed hard when they made eye contact, his fiery determination suddenly quelled and replaced with sorrow when he saw his servant's bemused expression melt into one of recognition… and then discomfort.

This... was going to be awkward…

For a moment, the two boys simply stared at one another, allowing tension to build within the silence that fell between them. Oz opened his mouth to speak, but found no words willing to leave his mouth, his mind drawing a complete blank. What was he supposed say? Should he apologize for whatever he had done that had upset his servant enough to send the teen running? Should he pretend that nothing had happened and just speak to the boy as he normally did? Should he demand to know what Gil was hiding from him? He wanted to know, but Raven did have point; it really was up to Gilbert to tell him what was wrong when he was ready… But Gil _never_ shared his problems with anyone, even when they were little. Maybe he should try and coax the information out of the boy…

Before Oz had time to gather himself, however, Gilbert rose from where he was seated, pausing only to place something he had been holding against his chest back on the armchair (was that Raven's hat? How did he get that?). The young servant then turned and took several steps in Oz' direction, stopping just a few feet before the boy, and stared into his master's eyes with a look Oz could not describe…

"G-?"

Gilbert took a deep breath and pulled his feet together, held his hands by his side, and bowed lowly from the waist. "I'm sorry."

"What?"Oz blinked, surprised. Wasn't he supposed to be the one apologizing for upsetting Gil?

"I shouldn't have run away like that," Gilbert said simply, his head still lowered. "It was disrespectful and selfish; I'm sorry."

Disrespectful? Oh great, he was talking as if Oz was his superior again… Alright, maybe Oz did play the 'Master-Servant' card a little more often than he should, but Gilbert had never worried about being 'disrespectful' before. "Gil…" Oz said with a small smile, "You don't need to be so formal." The dark-haired teen shook his head, his eyes still focused on the floor, and it was not until Oz placed a hand on the boy's shoulder that Gilbert allowed himself to stand straight once again. His eyes did not rise to find his master's, though, which caused Oz to frown. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now, Young Master," Gilbert said, taking a deep breath and allowing his eyes to fall closed, "I just needed to clear my head… I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

"Don't be stupid," Oz scoffed, waving his hand dismissively, "We're friends, aren't we? We're supposed to see each other in mortifyingly humiliating situations once in a while!" Like when Oz said all those embarrassing things about how much he cared about his servant… It was all true, yes, and at the time he had been quite happy to tell Gilbert how he felt. Now that he actually thought back on his words, however…

"That's… one way to put it," Gilbert said, risking a glance upward and offering the blonde an embarrassed smile, one that Oz returned awkwardly before both boys glanced away from one another, suddenly uncomfortable again. Oz bit his lip nervously, glancing back and forth between his servant and the oh-so-fascinating wallpaper, while Gilbert closed his eyes again… why was he doing that?

"Are you…?" Oz sighed and shook his head. This was stupid; why was he acting so nervous? This was _Gil_, after all. Rolling his shoulders to rid himself of the last knot of tension, Oz stood straight and faced his servant, "Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you lately?"

"I've just been feeling a little overwhelmed," Gilbert said, the fact that he answered right away taking Oz by surprise, "The Abyss, ten years, Raven… It was all a lot to take in, and I never really sat back and actually let it sink in properly, or figure out how I felt about it all. And then I…" Gilbert paused, and Oz saw the boy clench his fists tightly, loosen them for a moment, then watched as the young servant's fingers reached up and gripped the hem of his sleeves before pressing his arms to his side. The very act almost caused Oz to smile; that little pattern of actions had unfurled before him on dozens of occasions when they were little, a sure sign of his servant's discomfort. "I… was afraid that…"

Oz waited, but the way that Gilbert shut his mouth tight and lowered his head so that his dark hair covered his still-closed eyes suggested the boy had changed his mind about what he was saying. It didn't matter, however, because Oz knew exactly what the boy had been about to say. The young servant's words from back then, when Gilbert had first met Raven and Alice in Pandora, before he knew who they really were, came back to him…

"_M-Master, you won't leave me, will you? B-because I understand if you want to! I mean, y-you have Raven and that girl now so… So… I u-understand if you don't… Don't…"_

Gilbert was still afraid of being left behind… And though Oz was sorry for the boy, he could not prevent himself for feeling a little frustrated with him. Did he still not trust that Oz would take care of him? After everything they'd been through, after all that they had promised to one another as master and servant, and as friends, and after he had constantly tried to reassure the boy, Gilbert still thought that Oz was going to abandon him?

Didn't he trust him?

Gil took a deep breath and held it for a moment, trying to clear his mind. Had he really been about to tell Oz that he had been scared the boy would leave him? Idiot… He needed to watch what he said. He didn't want to burden the boy with something stupid like that and-

Gilbert's eyes snapped open when he heard the sound of moving fabric, and was shocked to see that Oz had raised a clenched fist high above his head, ready to strike his servant. The young boy flinched and shut his eyes tight once again, bracing himself for the blow. He heard his master shuffle slightly, raising his arm higher, before bringing his fist down hard towards Gil's head.

...

Or rather… That's what Gilbert thought, until he felt Oz's fist bop lightly against the top of his head. A completely harmless act, but it surprised Gilbert more than a solid punch would have, causing the boy to flinch and emit a short yelp, after which he opened his eyes and stared at his master in shock. Oz was glaring lazily at him, his fist still hovering above the boy's head, but there was concern in what should have been infuriated eyes.

"I was going to try and knock some sense into you…" the young Vassalius said, allowing his fingers to unfurl in order to place the palm of his hand on top of his servant's head. He released an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling and shaking his head slightly as he spoke, "But I don't want to damage what little brain you seem to have in there. Really, Gil, I thought you were just too lazy to think properly, but no one could be that stupid unless they were born that way." He looked down at Gil with false sympathy, petting the boy's head as if he were a dog. "Poor, poor idiot."

"I-idiot?" Gilbert stuttered, slightly irritated, but unable to think of an adequate response to the insult. Even after all their time together, Oz's words and actions still took him by surprise.

"That's right!" Oz proclaimed cheerfully, "You're a complete idiot, Gil!"

Gilbert frowned, "Young Master… That's not-" The young servant froze when Oz's hand slid from his head to the side of his face and… stayed there. _"What…?"_ But… Oz wasn't good with affectionate gestures. That's why the hug that morning, and the day before, had taken Gilbert by surprise. At first he thought his master was simply going with the flow, acting on impulse, but this… Oz was purposefully holding his face, running his thumb lightly over Gil's cheek. _"Why is he…when he likes Raven?"_

Oz smiled warmly, trying his best not to chuckle at the adorable, bemused look his servant was currently given him. "Yes, you're an idiot," he repeated, watching for even the slightest twitch of annoyance on his friend's face, but Gilbert seemed far more interested in keeping eye contact with Oz than worrying about the boy's rudeness, "But you're _my_ idiot, so I have to keep an eye on you, don't I? After all, an unsupervised stupid person could cause all kinds of mayhem!"

Gilbert, whose mind instantly reeled backwards to his master's earlier words – _"You're still my servant, and my best friend, and… You're my Gil…"_ – instantly felt his face grow warmer. That was the second time that Oz had claimed that Gilbert _belonged_ to him in a way that had nothing to do with his position as the boy's servant.

"Listen," Oz continued, removing his hand from Gilbert's red tinged face and placing it gently on the boy's shoulder when he felt that familiar, fluttery feeling swelling up within him. Now was not the time for that… "I know you told me you wanted to leave…" Gilbert's eyes dropped to the floor suddenly, his head lowering also, causing the young noble to smile and give his friend's shoulder a light squeeze. "But that's not what you really want, is it?" He took a deep breath when Gilbert shook his head lightly, holding it for a moment, before releasing it again. "Well, then, what _do_ you want?"

"What do I…?" Gilbert muttered, his gaze still focused on the carpeted floor beneath their feet. What did he want? He wanted the same thing he had always wanted… He wanted to stay by his master's side. He wanted to to serve and protect him, to do everything in his power to make the boy happy, no matter the consequences, or the cost to himself.

_He just wanted to be useful to his master…_

When he thought about that, nothing else seemed to matter. Even his own affliction, constantly weighing on the back of his mind, seemed to flicker out of existence, if only for a moment, when he focused on Oz. "I want…" he whispered, "to stay with you…"

Oz felt his heart elate in response to his servant's words, unable to prevent his small smile from breaking into a pleased grin. "I thought so," he said, reaching his hand up to ruffle the young servant's hair affectionately, "then stay with me, it's as simple as that!"

"Hmm…" Gilbert hummed softly, raising his gaze to offer his master a weak smile, "Is it? You don't care that I can't fight chains, or that Raven-?" A second hand slapped over his mouth, silencing the dark-haired teen instantly.

"_Don't_ get started on _that_ again," Oz said, narrowing his eyes threateningly. "I already told you, it doesn't matter if you're useless or not, or if Raven is better or worse at something than you. You're still you," he let both his hands fall away from his servant's body and took a step back, waiting for Gilbert to straighten up properly and look at him before saying, "and that's all that _ever_ mattered to me."

"Sorry…" Gilbert breathed, taken aback by his master's words. He shouldn't have been, though… Hadn't Oz said this already? But at that time, Gil had been wrapped up in darker thoughts, and every positive comment his master made only made those concerns all the more suffocating. "Young master…" He could call him that… It was ok… _Because they promised_… "C-can I make a request?"

"A request?" Oz tilted his head, curious, frowning slightly when he saw the seriousness in his servant's eyes, "Of course you can."

"Can I ask you to…" Gilbert tugged on the cuffs of his shirt, "To forget about the past…" He paused for a moment, shaking his head, "No, that's not right… I… It's just, with Raven and everything, I… I…"

"Take it easy, Gil…" Oz said softly, noticing that the boy's confusion seemed to be upsetting him.

"I don't want you to forget," the young servant said after a moment of silence, "I just don't want you to see me for who I was back then…" He pressed his right hand over his heart as he spoke, his gaze unwavering, "I want you to see me for who I am right now… See me as the person who's standing before you, and not the one that exists in your memories. Because…" How should he say it? What were the right words?

Before he could think of anything, Oz spoke, the tone in his voice casual with a hint of confusion. "But… I've already been doing that."

"H-Huh?" Gilbert blinked, his resolute façade instantly falling due to his master's unexpected response. He's already… what?

Oz laughed and reached forward to knock his fist against Gil's forehead, "Stupid~! Of course!"

"But…"

"People are always changing, aren't they?" Oz said with a smile, "When I first found out who Raven was, it was obvious he was a very different person from the boy I'd left behind ten years ago, even with the similarities. He was still Gil, and he was still my friend, but, in a way, I guess I had to get to know him all over again, and it was the same when I met you."

Oz… had always seen him that way? He had always just seen him as the person standing before him, rather than through the lens of his past self?

"So you don't have to worry about getting confused with Raven or anything. You're both Gil, but I know that you're both separate, individual people. And I don't want you to ever feel like you have to compare yourself to him, alright?"

But then… there had been no point in worrying so much, had there? Even if he was just a soul fragment, even if he wasn't human, Oz didn't see him as anything but the sum of his actions since escaping the Abyss…

"Gil?"

Oz only saw him for himself…

Oz only saw…

_Rook… _

"Hey… are you alright?" Oz's soft voice penetrated his thoughts, and an almost painful sense of déjà vu struck Gilbert when he blinked and felt two, hot tears running down his face. The situation was so similar to the events that had unfurled mere hours ago, before he had run away and caused this entire mess, that, for a moment, the teenager found himself frozen. This time, however, Gilbert did not turn away and try to hide his tears. No… Instead, Gilbert raised a hand to his eyes, intent on wiping the slowly forming tears away, and laughed.

"I guess I really am a crybaby, huh?" he said, his voice a little strained, tears escaping his eyes regardless of his efforts to stop them, but an irrepressible smile remained on his face.

"Heh," Oz smiled, "You're only figuring that out now? You really are an idiot…"

Gilbert chuckled softly and once again wiped the tears from his eyes, "I suppose I am." He'd cried so much already that he really hadn't thought he had anything left in him. It actually physically hurt, but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. How embarrassing… "S-sorry," he muttered, pulling down his sleeve to cover his fist and rubbing his eyes with it, the material absorbing the moisture of his tears easily.

Oz reached forward and placed a hand on Gilbert's, "Maybe I should get the maids to bring us something to eat again… You're hungry, right?" After all, the boy had hardly eaten anything for breakfast that morning.

Gilbert lowered his hand (and Oz's) in order to look his master right in the eyes. "Starving," he admitted, after which his stomach, as if to punctuate his single-word sentence, made a loud, grumbling noise, causing Oz to laugh loudly. Blushing, the young servant hide his face once again behind his fist, pretending to dry his eyes once again while Oz moved away towards the door.

"What about the others?" Gilbert asked a few minutes later, once again sitting in the armchair and holding Raven's hat on his lap, smoothing the material around the rim distractedly. "Won't they be wondering where you are?"

Oz, who had taken up residence in the chair across from Gilbert, rose to his feet as he spoke. "They're fine, Gil. I told them I was going to be spending the day with you," he said, placing his half-empty tea cup on the table and moving to his servant's side, politely ignoring the way the boy blushed and avoided his gaze upon hearing that Oz wanted to spend time with him. _"Such a bashful little boy~"_ He plucked the hat the teen had been holding from his grasp, grinning when he saw Gil automatically scramble to get it back from him before restraining himself. He placed the item gently on his friend's head, chuckling when it slipped down to cover his eyes. "It's too big for you!"

Gilbert made a face, though it was mostly hidden by the wide brim of the hat, "I can see that."

"But, the way you're dressed right now…" Oz said, glancing over Gil's loose white shirt and black pants, "All you need is a jacket and a gun, and you could be a miniature Raven!"

The Nightray reached up and pushed the hat back so that he could see, "Really?"

"Geez, don't look so excited," Oz laughed, "You really are weird, Gil! You don't want to be seen as the same as Raven, yet you want to be like him. It's a little counter-productive, wouldn't you say?"

"I didn't say I wanted to be like him…"

"But you do, don't you?"

"No."

"Yeah right!" he exclaimed, "You're always hanging around him and asking him for help, you practice everything he's good at, you have only good things to say about him, and just now you looked really excited when I said you were like him. Just admit it!" Gilbert mumbled something incoherent under his breath and pulled the hat forward once again, covering his quickly reddening face with the item and causing the young Vassalius noble to laugh once again.

"_It's strange…"_ Oz thought as he moved to take his seat across from his servant, nodding politely at the maids who placed their lunch on the table between them. _"I know he was upset, and that all of this stuff with the Abyss and Raven was probably getting to him, but I get the feeling he's still hiding something from me…"_ Was that why Gilbert kept closing his eyes? To hide his feelings from Oz? Had this been a time before he was dropped into Abyss, he would have dismissed the idea instantly, knowing his servant would not be sly enough to even think of doing such a thing. However, the Gilbert before him now possessed a sense of cunning that he hadn't in the past, proven by his ability to keep things hidden from Oz for weeks at a time (even Raven, after ten years, could not hide his feelings as well as Gilbert could). The young noble was normally very good at detecting lies in someone, but it was made far more difficult when he could see the persons face… Or their eyes.

He could be over thinking it… For a while now, he had been convinced that there was something seriously wrong with his friend's health. The way he kept falling asleep everywhere, the headache's and persistent coughing… It had taken him quite some time to get to sleep the previous night, his mind sifting through memories of the last few weeks, looking for clues to support his theory. Today, however, Gilbert appeared perfectly fine (with regards to his physical health, at least). He hadn't coughed even once, and had somehow managed to outrun his master and disappear without a trace. Perhaps the cough medicine had worked… And maybe he had simply been losing sleep thinking about his situation…

… Had he really just been scared of being left alone? Not that he didn't understand the fear, but…

"Um…" Gilbert reached forward a plucked a napkin from a table to wipe some excess jam from his fingers, "So… what do you want to do?"

Well… Gilbert seemed fine now, and that was all that mattered… He would just have to keep an eye on both his servants for now, and hope that, if something was wrong, one of them would slip up and let him know. He hummed in response to Gilbert's question, eyes scanning the room for inspiration. "Ah! How about that!" he suddenly exclaimed, jumping to his feet and racing across the room, lifting the small box set from where it rested on the table near the door. "I have one in my room too; I suppose it's a popular game here."

Gilbert frowned when Oz brought the game closer, tilting his head, "Chess?"

"Why not? I haven't played in a long time!" Oz said with a grin, already setting up the board on the table and lining up the pieces. "You want to play, don't you?" he asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Regardless of what Gil wanted, Oz wanted to play, so they were playing!

"I… don't really know how to," Gilbert answered honestly.

"Huh? Didn't you use to watch Oscar play with me?" Oz asked, placing the black King and Queen pieces in place.

"Well, yes," the young servant nodded, "but I never really understood…"

"Then I'll teach you!" Oz said, pleased to see Gilbert nod and smile, clearly interested (Oz probably would have forced him to learn anyway, but at least this made it easier). He allowed himself to fall back so that he was, once again, sitting in his chair, before leaning forward and pointing at the board, Gil leaning closer so that he could hear what his master was saying, "You know all your pieces, right? King, Queen, Knights, Bishops, Rooks and Pawns. Your strongest pieces are your Queen and your Rooks; they're the only two pieces in the game that can check the king without help."

Gilbert inwardly flinched; ah… Rooks. Just hearing the word cause a stir within him, a sort of jolt that he was not sure if he liked or not. Which ones were the Rooks, though? His eyes skimmed over the pieces quickly, before he reached out and placed the tip of his finger on top of a black castle, "The Rooks are the castles, right?"

Oz scoffed, "It's so obvious you're an amateur… Rooks aren't castles!"

"Oh…" Gilbert blinked, looking at the pieces again. The horses were Knights, he knew that, and the King and Queen were easy to pick out. "Then…?" he let his hand hover over the Bishop piece.

"No, you were right the first time," Oz said with a chuckle, "what I mean is, though the pieces generally look like castles, Rooks are actually chariots."

"Chariots?"

"Yup! That's why they move in straight lines," Oz explained, "Because when Chariots move fast, they can't make sharp turns."

"I see…" Gilbert said, though, honestly, he didn't. Rook the bird, Rook the castle, Rook the chariot, and Rook… him? There was no logic at all to that, even if he left himself out of the equation entirely. "Then… why do they look like castles?"

"Search me."

"That's not a very good answer."

"Says the idiot!"

Once Oz had explained the basics they began to play, with the young noble criticizing his friends every move… At least until the young servant managed to check his King. Halfway through the third game, Gilbert's mind began to wander, however…

"_I wonder,"_ he thought, _"If we were all chess pieces, what would we be?"_ He allowed his eyes to roam over his remaining pieces, idly moving a pawn once Oz had completed his move._ "Oz would be the King piece, without a doubt. Both Miss Sharon or Miss Alice could be Queens… Although I suppose that's a bit rude, assuming they would be Queen pieces? Miss Alice could be a Knight I suppose, since she can fight… Break would probably be a Bishop, simply because they move in a weird way, just like he does. Raven…"_ He reached out and placed a finger on the horse figure on his side, moving it in order to guard his king piece from Oz's Queen. _"He would probably be a Knight, right by the King's side…"_

And he would be the Rook… Because he could not be a Knight, or a Bishop, and despite his low self esteem, he was certain he would be higher than a Pawn. Besides… They shared the same name…

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the piece he had been watching was knocked over by a white Bishop piece. "And there goes your Rook!" Oz proclaimed, "Oh, you're in trouble now, Gil!"

Gil chuckled, reaching over and tapping the black castle situated in the middle of the board, "I still have one more, Young Master."

"Don't worry," Oz said with a grin, "Once I get rid of your Knights, that one's next!"

Time passed without concern, a feeling of calm washing over the pair as their minds became lost in the board game laid out before him. When the midday sun had passed, Oz moved the chessboard to the floor, placing it beneath the windowsill, and beckoned his servant to sit across from him. They would slide a piece to a new square, contemplate their next move, and then become distracted by idle conversation, speaking to one another about everything and nothing at the same time, before remembering that they were in the middle of a game and continuing.

The scene was so familiar… Sitting with his master like this, just the two of them, listening, learning, and responding to the boy's light teasing… Even the way the sunlight shone through the window brought back memories of younger days, the glass behind his master framed by heavy green curtains that almost mirrored those that dressed the window in Oz's own bedroom back in the Vassalius mansion. Gilbert felt completely content, lost in the illusion of a time before Abyss, a time when he was the only person, other than family, in Oz's life, when the world was a simpler place and his greatest concern was finding a way to make his master happy. He almost expected Ada to run through the door at any moment, for Oz to leap to his feet and scoop the young girl up in his arms, hugging her tightly and laughing with her…

But this was not the past, and Oz no longer needed him in the same way he did when they were younger. The young Vassalius was stronger now, with a powerful chain by his side, the strength of Pandora behind him, and a number of powerful friends with Chains and powers of their own. Oz had Raven, and Oz had feelings _for _Raven… Whatever he had felt earlier when his master had held his face, it had to have been one-sided. Oz was just being nice to him… So he would have to lock away his feelings once again and pray no one significant had heard his proclamation outside and decided to relay it to his master later.

It didn't matter. Whether he was needed or not, he would find a way to be useful to his master. Just like a Rook piece in a Chess game, he may not be as close to the King as the Knight, but he was still one of the King's defenders. He would work hard to become stronger. He would do his very best to become braver. He would train, and fight, and win…

Forever was a long time, after all… Time Gilbert knew that he may not have…

But he was going to fight for it.

For every day, for every minute, for every second… As long as there was air in his lungs, he was going to do his best for his master, because that was what gave his life meaning, because all he wanted was for Oz to be happy… If he was useful to Oz, if he could do anything that would make the boy's life easier or better, then that was enough. It had always been enough…

"_Be useful to the master… Be useful to Oz…That's all you need…"_

The threads of destiny wound tighter and tighter, encasing both master and servant in its unbreakable bonds. It disregarded hopes, it ignored individual dreams, and it pulled…

Life or death… Light or darkness… Happiness or despair… The course of the future would soon be decided.

The curtain was rising on the final act…

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	25. Chapter 22

Hello! Sorry for the long wait, everyone, and sorry it's a bit short(?); it's actually only a piece of a very, very long chapter! (It's not even half of it; I thought it would be better to post smaller chapters more regularly during the lull in plot) The next chapter will be up pretty soon :)

I just want to thank you all for reading this story; your support means so much to me, and I appreciate every single person who reads this story, regardless of whether they review or not ^_^ That being said, however, I have to say thank you to everyone else who reviewed the last chapter - **swirlhearty23, LittlaSara, xxxMs. Von Grimmxxx, XwhiteXspiritXalchemistX, kyotoprincess, YakuKikyo **- thank you so much for your support! It is greatly appreciated! ^_^

Time for the chapter! I'm sorry I don't have something a little more exciting; this has some plot-points, but is generally supposed to be a break from the heavy plot. I know you're all waiting for more action, so don't worry! (Or maybe you should?) The plot is going through a slight lull, but then it will be time for the rising action, climax, and conclusion!

**QUESTION:**

Because it's been nearly twelve months, I would like to know;** what pairing are you rooting for?** ^_^ When this started, most support was for OzXRaven, or GilXOzXRaven. What are your opinions now? ^_^

Alright, I'm really done now ^_^; I hope you enjoy this _Loyalty_ 22!

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 22**

**O-O-O**

"_Oz is going to kill me…"_ Gilbert thought to himself, slipping his pendant beneath his shirt and tying the last few buttons before snatching his jacket from where it lay on his bed and moving quickly towards the full-length mirror by the wardrobe. _"Well… Raven is more likely to be upset than Oz," _he mused, pulling the dark brown jacket on and quickly smoothing the creases from his sleeves, tugging on the lapels lightly so that it sat neatly on his shoulders, _"We were supposed to have left ten minutes ago! I hope this doesn't mess up the plan…."_

The plan… Right…

He frowned as that thought crossed his mind, pulling his string-tie out of his pocket and quickly slipping it beneath the collar of his shirt and tying it in a neat bow (Really… this was too much for a trip to the market!). With one quick glance over his image in the mirror and a redundant attempt to tame his ever-wild hair with a quick brush of his fingers, the boy spun on his heel and made his way towards the door as quickly as possible, closing it behind him before rushing down the corridor.

Today he was going to town with Oz, Raven and Alice. Originally, it had been nothing more than a shopping trip suggested by Miss Sharon, who insisted that the group needed to at least get an idea about what they were going to wear for a festival Oz had decided they were going to the following week (apparently it had something to do with angels and romance… he didn't really listen after Miss Sharon's 'Girl Switch', as Break called it, turned on). Now, however, Raven had told Oz that he was going to leave the group for a short while in order to see the red-eyed Reinsworth servant about the Phantome case. He had then oh-so-subtly told Gilbert that he wouldn't be cruel enough to abandon him in a costume shop with Oz and Alice, and invited him to come along.

In truth, Gilbert had wanted to decline his offer and stay to face whatever torturous outfit his master would probably make him wear, but the fact that Raven was making all this effort just for him guilted him into accepting the man's invitation. Later when everyone else was asleep, Raven had confirmed his suspicions; though he _was _intending to ask Break about Phantome, the main reason for making the trip to Pandora was so that Break could run a few tests he'd been wanting to try on the young servant.

The very thought made Gilbert physically sick with fear.

He knew it was irrational… Break wasn't going to hurt him, or at least he would do all he could to avoid doing so. He was just trying to help, to figure out a way to fix him so that he wouldn't have to worry about his body unraveling, but… It was Pandora… And the things those people had done to him…

He shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind, grasping the banister as he began to make his way downstairs. _"Don't think about it_," he told himself, _"He wouldn't do that to you… And even if he tried, Raven wouldn't allow it… Don't worry…"_

Yeah… it was just a little test. Even _Break_ had promised him it would only take a few minutes, and Raven would be there, so he had nothing to worry about. And once that was over with, he would be able to return to Oz, and spend the rest of the day with him. And Alice and Raven, of course…

Feeling a little more relaxed, at least for now, the young servant paused when he found himself heading towards the main entrance, where his friends were probably waiting for him. Ah… she would probably kill him if he didn't go back and show her… So he, instead, made his way towards the dining room, quickly brushing any potential dust or creases from his shirt as he went.

He glanced up at the large grandfather clock as he past it, frowning when he realized it was now eleven forty-five. They were supposed to leave at ten thirty… If only he hadn't been ambushed after breakfast and forced to change, just because she 'didn't like the color' of his original outfit...

Then again, no one said 'no' to Lady Sharon.

**O-O-O**

Oz, Gilbert, and Raven…

Three very different individuals, a mixture of masters, servants, and nobles of equal standing, locked in a triangle of forbidden love and friendship that threatened to tear them all apart if their dilemma was not confronted and dealt with soon…

Oh yes, they may have been her friends, and she may have cared about all three of them deeply, but it would have been a crime if Sharon had not acknowledged what a positively _delicious_ romantic tale had fabricated before her very eyes. There were so many clichés that, had she read them in a novel, she may have been frustrated by them. However, seeing it happen in reality was far more exciting than any book; a servant's forbidden love for his master, the forbidden affection between two men, between friends, between people of differing ages, feelings denied, restrained, rejected, restored… All wrapped up in the most heart-wrenching love triangle the young noble-woman had ever encountered. It was difficult enough when a maiden had two brothers to choose from, or two of her best friends, but to have to choose between a younger and elder version of the exact same person? It could almost be described as tragic… Had the 'maiden' made a choice, that is.

But no… Oz, who Sharon was quite happy to refer to as a maiden simply as a result of the rather _unmanly_ cowardice he had displayed in completely avoiding the issue of his own love dilemma, had not chosen Gilbert _or_ Raven. Things had come to a complete standstill when the young Vassalius had asked his elder servant to wait for him to make a decision, and Raven had agreed to accept any decision that his master made ("How do you know about that, My Lady? Was that not a private conversation?" Break had asked her, to which Sharon as answered, "Well, the doors are not very thick, and the maids do talk…"). She hardly thought it fair that Oz and Raven had made such an arrangement without including Gilbert, who seemed to have accepted the inevitability of his master choosing the elder of the two. Perhaps if Oz chose Raven in the end, then it would be for the better, but… It just felt wrong. They weren't even giving Gilbert a chance to contend for Oz's affections, because he already accepted that he'd 'lost'.

Should Oz be with Gilbert, or with Raven? In truth, she did not know. Raven had fought long and hard for his master, but it was hardly fair to use that against Gilbert when the boy would have probably done the exact same thing if he had been given the chance. Besides, she was a firm believer that the strength of someone's love outweighed the circumstances in which those feelings were formed. The fact that Gilbert and Raven were getting closer, too, did not help the situation. It wasn't that she discouraged the relationship that seemed to have developed between them - she was pleased to see them getting along so well – but now they were concerned, not only for Oz's feelings and their own, but for those of their friend as well. Gilbert didn't want to hurt Raven, and Raven did not want to hurt Gilbert. Oz needed to make a decision, but without pressure from either suitor, he was not doing so. He was letting the problem to the side, and ignoring it.

"_Things cannot stay like this…"_ she thought to herself. She was fond of both Gilbert and Raven, and of Master Oz, too. She didn't want any of them to be upset, but she also felt that it would be better for all three of them if their feelings were out in the open, so that they could deal with them together. Things were fine at the moment; ever since Gilbert's breakdown just under a week ago, the air surrounding him appeared somehow lighter. He and Raven were much closer now, for whatever reason, and things between Oz and his servants seemed more comfortable. Gilbert had stopped leaving the room whenever it was just the three of them, all three of them content, even happy, to be in one another's company… but feelings of that strength could not be constrained forever. Someone was going to step out of line and risk destroying everything.

All of this poorly-veiled secrecy wasn't helping anyone, and… well, honestly, Sharon was becoming more and more frustrated with the denial of a love story just waiting to happen. It was like reading a wonderful book, only to find the final few chapters torn out.

If only she could figure out a way to make them all talk to one another… Maybe they could… Work out a compromise?

Oh, _that_ would _certainly_ be interesting…

"Miss Sharon?"

"Hmm?" the young noblewoman, interrupted before her mind could return one of her less tasteful fictional tales, looked up, smiling she saw Gilbert entering the room, his eyes roaming over his outfit with a hint of nervousness. She pushed herself out of her seat and came to meet the boy halfway, running a critical eye over the young servant's clothes. She was going to prolong her comment, just to enjoy watching the boy become more and more nervous by the second, but decided not to… this time. "See?" she asked, "Isn't that a much better color?"

Gilbert cast his eyes over the outfit he had just been forced to change into; it was simple - brown pants to match his jacket, dark shoes, and an off-white shirt – but Sharon believed the color, though unusual for Gilbert, did the most wonderful job of bringing out the boy's golden eyes. He raised his gaze to the young noblewoman, and answered, "Yes, Miss Sharon." He spoke with a sort of practiced pleasantness and a tired smile, which lit that sudden urge within the Reinsworth heiress to locate her fan and scold the boy for his rudeness. That fire was quenched, however, when the young servant placed the palm of his hand against his chest and bowed towards her slightly, smiling politely, "Thank you very much."

Sharon positively beamed when he glanced up at her with the large, bright eyes, struggling to suppress the less familiar urge to reach out and pinch the boy's cheek; he was just so adorable! How could she possible stay angry with him? "You are most welcome, Master Gilbert." At least he had the decency to try and hide his displeasure when he spoke to her, unlike some people.

She watched the boy's smile waver for a moment; he _really_ hated when she called him that... which was exactly why she did it: to see that cute, embarrassed look he always wore when she did. "Are you sure it's alright for me to wear this, though?" he asked, straightening up, "We're just going to the market; I don't want to ruin them…"

Sharon shook her head lightly, but just as she was about to assure the boy that there would be several identical outfits added to his wardrobe before he returned home that evening, Oz's voice resounded from the hallway just beyond the door to her left.

"Hey Gil, where are you?"

No matter how many times she saw it, the spark that alighted within the young servant's eyes the moment he heard, saw, or, sometimes, simply thought of his master, caused the young woman's heart to swell with joy. _"If love has a look, that's it_," she thought as the young Nightray turned his head in the direction of Oz's voice and called out to him, the small smile that had been set on his face brightening the moment Oz stepped into sight.

"Come on, Gil!" the young Vassalius said as he stepped into the room, looking slightly exasperated, "If you don't hurry up we're leaving without…" He paused just a few feet from the doorway when he caught sight of his servant, a confused frown suddenly forming on his face. "Wait… What are you wearing? Weren't you in blue this morning?"

"Um…" Gilbert glanced back at Sharon, a slight red tint on his cheeks, "Miss Sharon thought that-"

"Ah, I see!" Oz exclaimed before the boy could properly explain himself, "You really are her personal doll, aren't you?" He laughed as the young servant mumbled an incoherent response, apparently unable to look at either noble as a result of his master's words. "Miss Sharon…" Oz said with a smirk, placing his hands on his hips and quirking an amused eyebrow in her direction, "I thought it was the master's job to dress his servant?"

Sharon smiled sweetly, feeling somewhat offended, but far more intrigued by the playful tone in Oz's voice. "Oh? Do you not approve of my choice in attire?" she asked, not missing the way Gilbert looked back and forth between the pair nervously, as if he thought they were planning something… Which, in a way, they probably were. The boy had probably developed a sixth sense of danger after living with Oz for so long.

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that," the blonde said, his face falling in exaggerated shock at her apparent accusation, hands rising before him defensively. "You have wonderful taste in clothes, Miss Reinsworth," he made a sweeping gesture with his arm in Gilbert's direction, the young servant's eyes locked warily on his master, whose lips once again slid into the form of an oh-so-familiar smirk as he said, "I just think that he would look _much_ better in one of those _lovely_ uniforms you have your maids wear."

"Y-Young Master!" Gilbert exclaimed, but Oz completely ignored him, his attention fully on Sharon.

"Well, Miss Sharon?" he asked, "What do you think?"

Sharon hummed softly, relishing in the look of pure desperation that crossed Gilbert's face when he looked at her. 'Please disagree!' he seemed to say. Oh… She may have taken to doting on Gilbert since he had first arrived, but it really was impossible to resist the urge to tease him, whether he was twenty-four or fifteen. "I don't know," she said in a confused tone, noting the tiny glimmer of hope in the servant's eyes before turning and smiling brightly at Oz, saying, "I think I would have to see it, first."

Gilbert made a strange choking noise, but his master grinned widely in response to the young woman's suggestion, emerald eyes sparkling with mischief, "Good idea, Miss Sharon! Do you have anything in his size?" he asked eagerly.

Sharon hummed once again and glanced at Gilbert, smiling sweetly, "I think I may…"

"No way!" Gilbert yelled, taking a few steps backwards and waving his hands before him enthusiastically, "I refuse!"

Oz chuckled and took a step towards the boy, "You don't have a choice, Gilbert…"

"Young master, this isn't funny!"

"It's not supposed to be; now let's get you into that dress!"

"What? NO!"

"Come on Gil!"

"Stay away from me!"

"Boys…" Sharon mutteredwith a gentle shake of her head, moving back to her seat by the window and returning her attention to her mid-morning tea… but only for a moment, her attention back to the young master and servant as the pair began to race around the room; Gilbert was far too afraid to clamber across or over furniture in order to escape his master just in case he would damage something, but the blonde noble held no such reserve. When Gilbert tried to race around the back of the sofa, Oz ran and leapt atop the furniture and propelled himself over the back, latching his arms around his servant's shoulders and knocking both of them to the floor with a unified cry of pain, taking the coffee table with them. Sharon merely tutted quietly, shaking her head in feigned disappointment, while simultaneously shuffling sideways in order to get a better look at the pair struggling on the floor.

Oh... Now, Sharon may have been a lady, but she was quite aware that the current position that Oz and Gilbert were in was rather… compromising.

Not that they seemed to notice; the elder boy had landed on top of his servant and proceeded to straggle the boy's hips, preventing him from escaping, while Gilbert had reached up and caught his master's wrists in an attempt to keep the boy away from him.

"Give up, Gil!" Oz laughed, trying to reach down towards the boy's face, but Gilbert prevented this by pushing hard on Oz's hands.

"Young Master," Gilbert said in a slightly strained but otherwise even tone, "at the risk of sounding rude… please get off!"

"Not until you admit defeat and be my maid!" Oz grinned back, unaffected by Gilbert's raised tone.

"I'm definitely not going shopping with you now!"

"I'll tickle yoooou~!"

That earned a yelp from the dark-haired teen, who suddenly released Oz's wrists, throwing the blonde off balance before pressing a hand against the boy's shoulder and pushing him sideways off of him. Gilbert used his momentary freedom to scramble to his feet, moving quickly away from his master. Such a shame; a few more seconds, and at least one of them would have realized how awkwardly they were positioned.

"Gil, that's cheating!"

"No it's not!"

"Is too!"

"What on earth are you two doing in there?"

Ah, it seemed that it was Raven's turn to appear on the scene; he was standing just inside the doorway with Alice by his side, both of them wearing almost identical, confused expressions. Hmm... Now if had walked in just a few seconds earlier, what would he have made of fact that Oz had been sitting on top of his younger servant in such a questionable fashion? She knew his mind was not so innocent; he would have noticed right away what it looked like, and probably become flustered or incredibly _jealous_. Oh, she could just imagine; his expression would have been _wonderful_.

Gilbert, upon seeing Raven, redirected himself slightly and darting towards the elder Nightray. Seeing his change in direction, Oz followed, but Gil was closer, latching his left hand onto the man's jacket and swinging around so that he was standing behind him. "H-Hey!" Raven stuttered, raising his arms in order to see the young servant currently latched onto his back, "What do you think you're doing?"

Oz stopped in front of Raven and frowned, glaring at the boy that was peeking around from behind his elder self, "Alright, Gil, that's _definitely_ cheating!"

"I don't care," Gilbert stated bluntly, tightening his hold on the black jacket in his hands.

"I thought we were in a hurry… And aren't you two a little old for this sort of thing?" Raven asked, reaching down and trying to loosen the young servant's hold on him, eying his master warily as Oz tilted from side to side, trying to look around the man's body in order to see Gilbert, but the boy kept moving to keep himself hidden from view. The young servant yelped when Alice suddenly appeared behind him, gripping the boy's jacket and giving him a confused but determined stare when he glanced back. Sharon could not help but giggle at the naïve chain's actions; it seems she wanted to play, too!

Gilbert smiled and whispered something to Alice before turning his attention back to Oz, earning a short nod from the chain, who then proceeded to tighten her grip on Gilbert's jacket and stare intently at the boy's back. Oz, in the meantime, had decided to answer Raven's earlier question.

"Too old?" he asked with a grin, "You're never too old to have fun!"

Sharon watched, curious, as Gilbert edged a foot back, his heel lightly tapping the toe of Alice's boot, which the girl immediately moved a step backwards. Otherwise, the pair did not move an inch, though Alice's eyes appeared to sparkle with restrained excitement.

Oh, it was so clear what they were up to… Too bad Raven and Oz were not paying any attention.

Oz took a step back and pointed at his elder servant's face, "You're just a grumpy, old, fuddy-duddy!"

"Hey!" Raven exclaimed, "I am not old!"

Gilbert lightly released Raven's coat, his hands hovering by the man's side for a moment. Alice took another step back.

Oz tilted his head, "But you're a fuddy-duddy?"

"Oz…" Raven growled.

Sharon smiled in amusement as Gilbert and Alice took a few steps backwards without Oz so much as glancing in their direction, the former of which shot a pleased grin in the female chain's direction before beckoning her to follow him as he began to move quickly down the corridor.

"Well, you're definitely grumpy!"

"I am not!"

"Ooo, look at those hideous veins!" Oz exclaimed dramatically, pointing at the none-existent popping vein on Raven's forehead, "That can't be good for your health!"

Sharon chuckled, attracting the attention of the two remaining men in the room. Gilbert and Alice would have enough of a head start by now, right? "Excuse, Master Oz," she said, gesturing towards the doorway, "but I believe your 'maid' has escaped."

"Huh?" Raven and Oz exclaimed in unison, both of them looking out towards the hallway to notice that Gilbert was, indeed, gone, along with Alice.

"Aww, Gil!" Oz exclaimed, running to the doorway and yelling down the corridor, "You really are a grade-A cheater!"

From the distance, Sharon was suprirsed to hear Gilbert call back, "Am not!"

"Wait… maid?" Raven blinked, glancing around the room warily, as if afraid to find some sort of weird costume or outfit lying on the sofa, and muttering, "What do you mean 'maid'…?"

"Come on Gil!" Oz called as he darted down the corridor, "We have to catch them!"

"Oz, there's no 'catching' to be done," Raven said with a sigh, "They're probably at the carriage, let's just-" he stopped mid sentence when he turned around and noticed that his master had already disappeared. "Oz?"

"Looks like he left without you," Sharon said, once again smiling that sweet, supposedly innocent smile, the one she wore whenever a person did something stupid. Embarrassed (because he knew that look all too well), Raven excused himself and made his way out the door. Turning her attention back to her now cold tea, Sharon began to stir the contents of her cup, quietly counting, "Three… Two… One…"

"Oz! Wait for me!"

Like clockwork.

"Found you Gil! Get in the dress!"

"Run, Miss Alice!"

"Hey, come back here!"

"Oz, wait!"

"You're so slow! Hurry up, Seaweed-Head!"

"Ya! _Seaweed-Head_!"

"You two-!"

"You'll never catch us!"

"Alice, do you even know why you're running?"

"Because that's the point of the game!"

"You three, we're supposed to be going to town!"

"Be quiet, fuddy-duddy!"

"Hey!"

Alright, that was… a little out of the ordinary.

Well, with their voices of her friends dying out in the distances, it seemed that the excitement was over for now… But in the time she had sat watching the four friends interact, Sharon had managed to fabricate the bones of a much more entertaining plan forming in her mind, and was currently mulling over the general idea as she watched her beverage swirl in the cup beneath her.

After all… If Oz and his servants were ever going to make any definite decisions about their relationships (and, yes, that included the friendship between Gilbert and Raven), then she needed them to talk to one another.

How was she going to make sure they did that?

Hmm… Well… The young Lady Reinsworth had a few ideas…

**O-O-O**

The early spring mornings were still chilled with the aftermath of winter, despite the lack of actual snow in the area for many weeks, but by mid-morning there was little need for more than an extra pair of gloves and a comfortable coat. The market place was quite crowded, as it always appeared to be, with a large variety of stalls providing food, toys, and trinkets of every kind. Raven and Gilbert had only spent approximately twenty minutes with Alice and Oz, before the elder of the pair suggested making the trip to Pandora earlier, so that they could make the most out of the day. When Oz had complained that they hadn't even reached the costume shop yet, Raven and Gilbert promptly disappeared before he could search for their ideal matching maid uniforms (but not before Raven ordered him to stay in that single street and not to wander off). Well, the joke was on them. He was going to save the costume shop until they came back!

"A festival?"

"Mmm!" Oz nodded with a bright smile, placing the blue feather hair-piece he had been examining back on the shelf and turning to face his chain. "It's on next week; I just thought it would be something fun for all four of us to do together. It's called the St. Belligeron Festival, and…" the young heir's voice trailed off, his smile slowly dissolving into a neutral expression before quickly returning with a slightly embarrassed edge to it, "and that's about all I know about it, actually. But Miss Sharon said that people usually dress up in costumes, and there will be music, and dancing, and all sorts of games. I think it has something to do with feathers, too, since they seem to be everywhere."

"Will there be food?" Alice interjected almost instantly, to which the blonde responded with an enthusiastic 'Of course!'. "And… It will be all four of us? You and Me and Big and Little Seaweed-Head?"

Oz chuckled softly at the nickname that his chain had given his servants, before saying, "Yes, we'll all be there." He did not miss the pleased look that flashed across the chain's face, and smiled warmly in response; she really seemed to enjoy spending time with all of them, and he was certain Gil had a lot to do with it. Not that she enjoyed Gil's company over anyone else's, but the young servant was always nice to her, and he regularly interrupted, or completely prevented, any fights between her and Raven (something Oz had always allowed, seeing it as harmless), which resulted in a far more relaxed atmosphere for the group overall. _"And he has such a short temper himself sometimes; who'd have thought that Gil would be a Peacemaker?"_

"Hmm, alright then," Alice said after a moment of silence, folding her arms across her chest and trying her best to look indifferent, "I suppose this festival thing doesn't sound too bad."

"I know you'll like it," Oz said, making his way back to the store front with his chain following close behind. "I've never been to a festival, either, so it will be a first for both of us!" he said as they exited on to the street, ignoring Alice's snappy response to his last statement ("If you've never been, how do you know I'll like it? Stupid manservant…"). He glanced up and down the path, searching for either Raven's dark trench coat, or Gilbert's brown jacket, but he found neither. He felt his stomach twist slightly. Honestly… They were only gone for a short time, hardly long enough to actually start _missing_ them.

...

Although…

"_I wonder how long those two are going to be missing?"_ he wondered, more than a little suspicious of their absence. Then again, work at Pandora always took time simply because of the volume of people within the building, but still… Why had Raven told him and Alice to stay in the market place when he usually took them with him? Why did he only take Gilbert? _"I seem so paranoid, asking questions like this."_

He really should take a few steps back and stop constantly questioning his servants' actions like he had been for the past week or so. Gil said that he was fine, so he should trust him, right? And maybe it wasn't that strange that Raven had only taken Gil with him; after all, they had been getting along better than ever recently, and the elder Nightray knew that Oz hated the way Pandora members fell all over him when they saw him. "_Plus, Gil doesn't know anything about Jack; if I had gone too, I would probably have to explain all of that to him…"_ Along with his connection to the Tragedy, and Sablier, and the Death Clock…

He still wasn't ready to explain all of that to his younger servant, especially when he recalled the way Gilbert spoke about illegal contractors. He didn't necessary say that he hated them, but he only referred to them as 'those people', which was not exactly a term that oozed affection (Not that he blamed the boy, considering his first encounter with an illegal contractor's chain). No… Oz was going to keep that side of himself a secret for as long as he could.

"_Heh… Here I am, afraid Gil doesn't trust me, and I won't even tell him the truth about myself…"_ He was such a hypocrite. He glanced up and down the street one last time, trying to ignore the disappointment his felt when he, once again, did not spot his servants. _"Get ahold of yourself!"_ Why was he feeling like this? Well… they _had_ been spending a lot more time together recently. Well, recently being just over the last week, but it still counted. He was sort of getting used to having at least one of them by his side all the time… Was that why he was feeling… lonely?

"Do you want to get something to eat, Alice?" he asked, turning to face his chain once again. He felt a little guilty; Alice was there, after all, so he shouldn't feel lonely, but… it still felt as if something was missing, that coldness that had swept over him when Gilbert had gone to find Raven in the city was returning, and he- "OW!"

"Don't make me do it again," Alice stated, leaning back and placing her mitten-clad fists on her hips, "Your face is cold, and it hurts my teeth."

Oz blinked, rubbing his left cheek to try and dull the piercing pain his chain's bite had left behind. Why had she…? Oh, he'd almost forgotten! Alice thought that a bite on the cheek was supposed to make him feel better…. He could not help but smile at Alice's strange gesture of affection, chuckling softly as the approaching coldness was suddenly banished by the warmth of affection he felt for his chain in the moment. "Thank you, Alice," he said, "I needed that."

Alice's cheeks reddened, the girl immediately unsettled, as she always was when anyone opening thanked or praised her when she wasn't expecting it. "Hmph!" he stomped her foot and threw her nose up in the air, trying to appear taller, "Well, then you can show your appreciation be buying be something good to eat!"

"Haha! Alright, Alice, if that's what you want," Oz laughed, reaching out and taking the chains hand in his own, grinning as she spluttered a confused 'What are you doing?' before tightening his hold and pulling the girl down the street, "Let's get you something really delicious!"

"W-well of course!" Alice said, "The Great B-Rabbit only deserves the best!"

"Oh, absolutely!" Oz agreed, amused when, once again, Alice was thrown, this time by his compliance, choosing to fall into step behind him and follow silently, clearly embarrassed. She really was the sweetest girl… He could easily have fallen for her. In fact, maybe he had, maybe the feelings he had for Alice had been romantic, but… Something had changed. Or rather, something that had always been there made itself truly known to him. And once it did, it just grew stronger and stronger.

He loved Alice, he really did, but more and more he was beginning to see her like a sister, while Gil… There was something about the way he felt for Gilbert, for Raven, that was just… different. A good kind of different… Confusing, and painful, yet wonderful. It kept him up at night, sometimes it made him feel sick, or left him feeling as if he was no longer in control of his own emotions. But on other occasions, it made him feel excited, and happy. He enjoyed the simplest things, and was almost annoyed for himself for feeling so many things that he thought was just the flowery language of a poet or writer. The butterflies, the racing heart, the lightheadedness…

He had never felt that way for Alice.

He had never felt that way for _anyone_.

And now he felt that way for _two people_? It was almost too much to handle!

And yet… there was _no way_ he wanted to give it up… Which was really, really selfish, when he thought about it. And probably wrong on _so many_ levels.

Did he care? Not really… For once, he just wanted to be selfish… Besides, it wasn't like they were _doing_ anything, they were just hanging out… The three of them…

It would be fine for just for a little longer… right?

**O-O-O**

"I really don't want to do this…"

Raven blinked and looked up from the newspaper he had been looking over to see the young servant lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on his knees, glancing around the waiting room nervously. A girl to his left coughed hoarsely, and the teen automatically edged closer to Raven, as if afraid he would catch whatever respiratory problems the young woman had. With a sigh, the elder Nightray closed the paper on his lap, focusing his attention on Gilbert instead. He had known bringing the boy to Pandora was a bad idea; even before they had ever reached the building the kid had been quiet, sticking as close as possible to Raven's side without actually touching the man. Once they had taken a seat in the waiting area (they were waiting for Break to finish another job) the boy's nervous shaking became far more apparent to the elder man, and he appeared unable to sit still for more than a few seconds at a time. These were the first words the boy had uttered in opposition to their decision to visit Break, but, unfortunately, they were a little late coming. "Well…" he started quietly, "we're already here, so you might as well go through with it. Break doesn't have the equipment to give you a check up at the mansion, after all."

"I know…" Gilbert muttered, unable to keep the defeated tone from his voice. He really didn't like this… Whether or not he was sitting in the waiting room or in the middle of one of the testing areas, he was still in Pandora, and he hated this place… They may have taken care of him for the week or so before he left with Oz, Raven and Alice, but his first few weeks with them had been completely different. He had tried to forget about it, but there were still moments in which the mere sight of a needle or unlabeled medicine bottle put him on edge. Even the sight of the Pandora uniform was enough to upset him at times.

The fact that he was wearing a stolen pendant did nothing to calm his nerves, either. It was concealed beneath his shirt and jacket, but Gil couldn't help but feel that every Pandora official that walked passed him somehow _knew_ that he had it. He glanced up at Raven, but instantly lowered his eyes to his feet when he saw the man looking directly at him, feeling embarrassed. "I… just…"

"I know," Raven said, "But it's not like Pandora will have anything to do with this; it's just a quick check up to make sure nothing's wrong."

Gilbert made a face, "Yeah, but Xerxes Break is the one doing it."

"And?"

"_And_, he's a pervert."

Raven tried to restrain a small smile from surfacing as a result of the teen's blunt statement, but failed. "Hey, I'm not arguing with you on that, but he's all we've got," he said. Though he didn't believe Break would actually do anything to Gilbert (and he knew the young servant was quite aware of this), he could understand why the boy would be opposed to having the man examine him; Break had the less-than-admirable ability to make anyone feel considerably uncomfortable in any given situation, which certainly didn't work in their favor when Gilbert was already sensitive about his condition. "I know you don't like being here, but it will only before for a short while. We'll be finished and back to Oz and the Stupid Rabbit before you know it," he offered, trying to relax the teen.

Gilbert frowned, "Could I get out of this if I told you that I'm fine? I mean, I haven't had any new problems since I got…" he shut his mouth tight, suddenly remembering that he was talking about a stolen item, "Um… that… medicine…" he finished uneasily.

"It doesn't matter what you've told me," Raven stated, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, "because you're a liar."

"I am not!" Gilbert retorted instantly, but a skeptical glance from the man by his side caused him to falter. "I'm… I'm not…" he said awkwardly, glancing away with an annoyed pout, "Withholding information isn't the same as lying."

Raven scoffed, "Yes it is, and you know it."

"Is not."

"You're a brat…"

"And you're a jerk," Gilbert answered instantly, leaning back in his chair as well and folding his arms across his chest, "so I guess we're even."

Raven sighed heavily at the boy's defiant tone, raising his right hand up to press his index finger against his temple as if to suggest an oncoming headache, while Gilbert shuffled in his seat and turned his attention towards the ceiling, a heavy frown set upon his face. Silence fell between the pair for a moment, but Raven's eyes were soon travelling over to the boy by his side. Gilbert glanced up at him, matching the elder Nightray's annoyed stare with a defiant glare of his own.

And then they both scoffed, the smiles they were no longer capable of containing spreading across their faces as the two Nightray's laughed quietly.

"You're such a pain," Raven said, reaching over and ruffling the boy's hair forcefully, making Gilbert whine in annoyance as it tangled into an untamable mess, "Why do I put up with you?" He smiled when he heard the boy giggling softly at his comment, relieved that the sensitive teen was at a stage where he was willing to accept Raven's jibes without reading into them or taking them seriously. "Feel better?"

"A little…" the young servant nodded slightly, his smile a little duller, but still there, none-the-less. That had to be a good sign.

"Well, I'll be there," Raven said as he removed his hand from the boy's head, watching as Gilbert ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to force it into a slightly less humiliating mess, "so you don't have to worry."

Gilbert hummed softly, crossing his arms once again and settling back into his seat, "Thanks…" he whispered, just loud enough for the elder servant to hear.

"No problem."

The silence that followed was surprisingly comfortable… So much so that Raven could not help but wonder when, exactly, the two of them had become so close that they could sit in this kind of silence, or speak to each other so casually, or tease and insult and comfort all at once without feeling the least bit self conscious? Yes, he had noticed that, despite his initial dislike for Gil, he had come to tolerate him rather quickly, largely due to the younger Nightray's own attempts to avoid annoying him. When the boy had come to bring him home, and he found out Gilbert's secret, their relationship moved onto a level higher than mere toleration. In seeing his own problems reflected in the young servant, and in seeing how the boy treated his own relationship with Oz, Raven was forced to look at himself and realize how selfish he was. He changed Raven, without ever intending to, and it had been for the better. At the same time, he had begun to feel responsible for Gil, and started to worry and care about him.

After Gilbert had broken down in front of him, that protective feeling that flared within him only grew stronger, fueled by Gilbert's clear need for his support…

When he thought about it, it was not difficult for Raven to see the way in which their relationship had evolved. It seemed to have done so slowly (hadn't they known each other for nearly two months now?), but it still felt like it had happened suddenly.

Then again… wasn't that how all friendships were formed?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Raven blinked, shaken from his musings by the question that came from the boy at his side. He reached up and pushed his hat down in front of his face without looking in the boy's direction, "You don't have a penny."

"True… How about an I.O.U.?"

"Forget it, brat."

"Hmph…fine, Seaweed-head."

Raven blindly reached over and tapped the back of his hand against Gilbert's head, the action receiving a soft chuckle from the boy, who then elbowed Raven in the side lightly. Unwilling to allow the teen to make the final move, Raven returned the gesture, shoving Gil lightly with his elbow. Unfortunately, the young servant seemed to have the same idea, because his foot suddenly swung sideways and struck Raven's ankle.

"Ack!" the man suddenly jumped in his seat; the attack hadn't been painful, but it had been unexpected. Pushing his hat back so that he could see once again, Raven noticed that a few of the people nearby were staring at him curiously. He felt his face warm with embarrassment, which only worsened when he heard the young boy by his side giggling uncontrollably.

"I didn't think you'd do that!" Gilbert whispered, grinning, before covering his mouth and trying his best to suppress his laughter. He honestly hadn't expected the man to jump like that, and the fact that Raven was always so serious in public only made it funnier.

Raven narrowed his eyes, glaring at the young servant, "I hate you."

Gilbert removed his hands from his mouth and looked up at Raven, his eyes sparkling with amusement and a bright smile still on his face. "I hate you, too."

Raven leaned back and once again pulled his hat down in front of his face, trying to will himself to calm down and not think about the people around him that were probably still staring (because the brat was still laughing!).

"_So he says he hates me, hmm? And I hate him..."_ Raven thought, _Well… "_

He lifted the brim of his hat slightly when he felt a weight against his side. Gilbert, still giggling, though only slightly, had fallen against him, his shoulder resting against Raven's arm while his hands still pressed against his own mouth.

Raven didn't even realise he was smiling himself until Gilbert glance up at him, after which he pushed his hat back over his face._  
_

"_I suppose…" _he thought,_ "__That makes us both liars…"_

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**


	26. Chapter 23

Hmm, a little more than a few days since the last chapter, isn't it? Sorry everyone! I sort of lost my inspiration for this story, but after I read all the lovely reviews you all wrote for me, I felt I should just sit down and work on it and hope inspiration would catch up! It hasn't as of yet, and the fact that I struggled is probably clear in the writing, but at least the next chapters out, right? ^_^;

I could go into the reasons I have taken so long to get this chapter up, but they would just sound like excuses, so I'll just get on with it, shall I? ^_^ I'll be the first to admit this chapter is not worth the wait (it's sort of like homework; not exciting, but essential), but the next will have a lot more fun stuff in it! ^_^ And possibly drama… It depends if I will be forced to put a damper on the silly things or not.

The thing I most regret is… no Oz this chapter! :( But there shall be plenty in the next :) I'm just trying to cram a lot into one, even if it may not seem like it.

Once again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! **Suimomo, Avrilla de Senetaz, Kalana Fox, Yume Li, Nako13yeh, 3, Nadramon, InuChimera7410, animefan24, Reckyt, YakuKikyo, mooncat011, swirlhearty23, kyotoprincess, LittleSara, yami'sguardian** and **KyoxSakiFan**. I can't believe how many of you took the time to review! I'm so sorry I didn't get this chapter up quicker :( I'll do my best to get the next one up as soon as possible, because I really appreciate the time you all took to leave a review and I want to repay it somehow. So.. Full steam ahead!

Most of the next part is already written, so I hope to have it up soon :) Then you can see if Lady Sharon's 'clever' plan works or not ^_^

Now, on with Chapter 23! So we can get to Chapter 24 quicker! :)

**O-O-O**

**Chapter 23**

**O-O-O**

"Hmm…" Sharon hummed softly to herself, swirling the freshly-poured beverage that one of her maids had prepared for her around inside her glass, before lifting it to her lips and gently inhaling its scent. Enticed by it's sweetness, she tilted her hand and quietly sipped, enjoying the sensation of the cool liquid sliding down her throat and leaving a sense of warmth in its wake.

Yes, this would do.

"_Though I'm not sure this is the best idea…"_ she thought to herself as she set the wine glass down and nodded to her maid to show her approval. Originally, the thought of introducing a little alcohol to dinner in order to loosen the lips of her friends about their never-changing situation seemed like a good idea. Now that she had stopped to think about it, however, she wondered if it were a little too sly, or crude. She was past worrying whether or not she had the right to meddle in their affairs – Oz, Gilbert and Raven's inability to handle their own relationships was enough justification for that – but the method of doing so was questionable.

She had spoken to Raven quite often over the years about how he felt for his master, but the man had always done his best to avoid the subject. Her conversations with Oz about his servants normally descended into jest, and any genuine affection that she had managed to get him to express for them was often left hanging in the air, unfinished, or subtly pushed aside and replaced by a mean comment about their 'uselessness'. She and Gilbert, however, spoke quite often about many different things, from the weather to food to books and so on. The boy had quite poor conversational skills, really, because he had very little knowledge on anything outside the work of a servant or guns, but once the topic of conversation referred to anything 'Oz-related', he was surprisingly talkative. She had managed to get him talking about how much he cared about his master, and had tried to ask subtle questions that would suggest something more, but the young boy was either naïve or very good at pretending to be so, because he never appeared to notice the suggestive undertones of their conversations.

She wondered if, perhaps, it would be better to simply speak with him, without resorting to some light intoxication to loosen the three boys' inhibitions. Maybe she could convince Gilbert, more than Raven or Oz, to start talking to the others, and things could get moving that way. However, as soon as the thought entered her mind, there were more questions: Would she be able to convince the boy to speak up for himself? Would Raven or Oz listen? They were all so secretive about their feelings, and so afraid of sharing them with anyone for fear of causing harm.

"_A little liquid courage would not hurt any of them_," she argued to herself. Certainly, Raven, and therefore Gilbert, had a very low tolerance for alcohol, and so it was unlikely that Oz was going to allow himself to drink anything after one of his servants began to look a little hazy, but any little bit that could loosen the noble up would be better than nothing. Once dinner was complete she would try to speak to them separately, or encourage them to spend time in each other's company. Maybe Gilbert or Raven would get emotional, as the Nightray was prone to when drunk, but that would only make it more likely that things would get out in the open.

Yes, she was willing to admit that it was crude, but there was also a good chance that it would be effective. Besides, she had already gone to the trouble of acquiring this delicious, sweet-flavored wine for dinner… She could not let it go to waste, could she? The thought of poor, pathetic, drunk Gilbert's adorable blushing face was enough to tip her in favor of the plan, and she informed her maid that she wished to have that particular wine served at dinner. Glancing at the clock curiously, she took one more sip of wine before pushing herself to her feet and retiring to her room for a little light reading.

It would be hours before her friends would return, after all. Doing a little… 'research' before she tried to enact her plan wouldn't hurt.

**O-O-O**

"Xerxes, I think we have a problem…"

"Hmm?" Break, who had been waiting for Liam to return to the office before sending for the Nightrays waiting for them in the reception area, tilted both his chair and his head backwards so that he could regard his friend with at least semi-real curiosity, "And what makes you say that, Mr. Liam?"

Said man stepped inside his office and closed the door behind him, moving quickly across the room so that he could speak to the Reinsworth servant in a quiet tone and still be heard. "I heard a few whispers, but I didn't tell you about it because I didn't think it meant anything…" he said quietly, and Break could tell from the look on his face that Liam was beating himself up inside for not speaking up sooner. "When Master Gilbert brought Young Master Gilbert here the other day," he said, "some of the scientists in charge of Gilbert's initial testing saw him. I imagine he had drifted from thought since he has been with Master Oz and the others for weeks, but now that they've seen him again there's talk of bringing him in for assessment. If that happens-"

"He was removed from Pandora under the Vassalius seal," Break pointed out, but an uncertain frown had settled on his face despite his words, "They would need the permission of Master Oscar or Master Oz to take him in, and neither of them would ever allow that."

Liam frowned and leaned back, pressing his finger against the frame of his glasses in order to set them correctly upon his nose. "It's not that simple…" he said, the dark tone in his voice catching Break's attention. "You know that because the Chain division is involved in such a dangerous field, there is a lot of work done… 'off the record'."

Break narrowed his single, blood-red eye, "So you're saying that they would go after Gilbert, regardless?"

"I'm saying that it's possible…"

"Well, thank goodness. I was starting to think this was all going a little too smoothly for my tastes," Break said with a lilting tone, but his actions lacked any of the carefree notes of his voice. Wonderful… this was just what they needed; yet another obstacle to sneak around. He stood quickly, brushing some cookie crumbs off his lap before turning to his friend, "I suppose we should get him out of plain sight and into this office right away, then."

"I'll go and get them," Liam offered, pointing over Break's shoulder at the drawer just behind his colleague, "Could you take out the box of weights and get them ready?"

"I'm obliged to say 'of course I will'," Break chirped, "but we both know that I will do no such thing~"

"I don't know why I bother…"

"One of life's great mysteries!"

**O-O-O**

Both Gilbert and Raven had spent most of their time waiting for Break in a comfortable silence, but eventually the elder of the Nightrays had suggested that he go to Laim's office and see if he could find the man. Gilbert smiled when Raven turned around to ask if he would be alright for a few minutes on his own, nodding and assuring the man that he was certain he could survive a whole five minutes without him. The look in Raven's eyes suggested a desire to make a face or shoot a smart remark back at Gilbert for that, but, well aware of his location, the man had simply nodded and turned, walking briskly towards the staircase just right of the reception area. _"He's so serious when he's in public,"_ Gilbert thought, amused._ "I wonder how many people know what a temper he has?"_

One minute… Two minutes… Three… Four… Only five? It seemed a lot longer. Too long for the young servant to remain calm, it seemed, despite his assurance to the elder Nightray that he was fine. Gil took a deep breath and held it for ten seconds, before exhaling slowly, dispelling all nerves from his body and relaxing his mind in the process… Or, that had been the plan, but he had an extremely persistent bundle of nerves lodged firmly in the pit of his stomach, and they didn't appear to be going anywhere.

"_Great…" _He thought as he folded his arms and leaned forward to rest them on his knees, eyes closed and head lowered. He actually wished that the building was a little busier; at least then it would be easier to pretend that he was sitting out on the street rather than inside Pandora HQ. After lunch hours the building had become relatively quiet, something that Gilbert would have usually appreciated. Not today.

A few more minutes ticked by… Maybe he could slip out and go back to Oz while Raven was missing? He discarded that thought as quickly as it formed; he would not leave the elder Nightray like that, no matter how much he hated the idea of these exams. Still, the thought did redirect his focus back to Oz, which was always a good thing in Gilbert's mind. _"I wonder what Oz is up to… We've been here quite a while, I wonder if he's getting bored?"_ Bored? Most likely. Suspicious? … It was possible…

Stupid Break… Couldn't they just get this over and done with? He wanted to get back to Oz and… _"Stop that…"_ he mentally scolded himself, _"Oz likes Raven. He's better off with Raven." _But that didn't mean he had to stop enjoying the boy's company, did it? Even if they weren't… 'together' (he raised his hands to his face, rubbing his reddening cheeks and covering his eyes in an attempt to hide his blush by pretending to be tired), it didn't mean Oz was any less important to him. He was allowed to miss him, and right now, all he wanted was to be with Oz.

… Just like every other second of his life.

"_I'm so pathetic_…" he thought, though, really, he didn't care, at least not when it came to his master. Surely anyone who knew Oz would understand how Gilbert felt. How couldn't they? Oz was such an amazing person; he was smart and witty, as well as strong and caring. He teased Gilbert, yes, but he never meant any real harm, and if Gilbert ever did get upset he would always find a way to make up for it. He was good at the piano _and_ the violin, he could sing and recite poetry better than anyone he knew, he could draw, and he was always up to date with his studies, even with all the time he took to play with his sister and servant. He was inspiring.

And very, _very_ handsome.

"_But I don't like him for his looks,"_ Gilbert thought, settling on simply holding his face and balancing his elbows on his knees, rather than trying to hide his blush by moving around. What was wrong with him? It was definitely a bonus that the person he liked was very good looking, but that was not important! Even if the young Vassalius did have eyes like gorgeous, glimmering emeralds, and beautiful, soft hair that shone like gold in the sun, or flawless skin that- _"It's not important! I like Oz for who he is… Not what he looks like. If he were the most hideous person in the world, I'd still love him!"_ He was going to pass out from the heat in his face at this point.

He tried to change his thought process, but by now he seemed incapable of thinking of anything else _but_ Oz and his dashing good looks, and the young Nightray was positively burning with embarrassment._ "Think of something else! Uh… Um… Clouds! … Birds? Guns! Food? Ah… I'm hungry, actually..."_

"Hey, can you hear me?"

"Huh?" Gilbert removed his hands from his face when he felt something tap his shoulder, blinking hard to try and clear his vision after he had been putting pressure on his eyes while his face was covered. Looking up, he expected to find Raven standing before him, but was instead confronted by a young, sandy-blonde teenager who looked more than a little aggravated with Gilbert. "I-I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"

"Yes, I was," the boy said as he frowned and folded his arms, regarding Gilbert with a mixture of mild annoyance and curiosity. "You've been sitting here for quite a while, and it's not really normal for someone of your age to be here alone." Gilbert frowned; someone his age? What, did he look like a kid? ... Alright, so maybe he did look younger than his years (more so if you counted his years in Abyss), but even though he was only fifteen he would still be considered and adult in many circles. "Why are you here?"

"I-I'm just waiting for someone," Gilbert said quietly, sitting up straight and debating whether or not he should stand to address the boy before him or not. He wasn't the one who initiated the conversation, but he was still afraid that he was being rude by looking up at him like this.

"That's a pretty vague answer," the boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Gilbert felt his nerves suddenly flutter to life. Why was he looking at him like that? "What's your name?"

Alright, one more twist like that today and Gilbert was certain he was going to be physically sick. "M-My name?" he stuttered, gasping softly and casting his eyes downward when he realized that his fear must have been clear in his expression, mentally scolding himself for not being more composed. He couldn't very well introduce himself as Gilbert Nightray, could he? There was no telling what sort of trouble that could get him into, especially inside Pandora. Then maybe… "Ah," he cleared his throat and raised his gaze again, "i-it's Rook, sir."

"Rook?" the boy said, making a face.

"Um," Gilbert felt his face warming once again. What? What was wrong with 'Rook'? "Yes sir…"

"Like the chess piece?"

Gilbert shuffled awkwardly, eyes falling to the floor again, "Well… I-I guess… Maybe… I don't know…"

"Rook what?"

"What?"

"You're full name, what is it?"

"M-My… excuse me?" Gilbert could not prevent the tone in his voice hardening slightly in offence. What right did this boy have to just walk up to him and start interrogating him? He obviously didn't work for Pandora, and even if he did, what reason would he have for approaching Gilbert? Maybe he just had a naturally suspicious look about him… Or maybe it was his constant fidgeting that had drawn the boy's attention to him.

The teen that stood before him appeared offended by Gilbert's tone, and looked as though he were about to retort, but a swift strike to the back of his head caused him to cry out in pain and surprise. He quickly turned away from the startled servant before him to glare daggers at the person who had just hit him. "Reo! What the hell?"

Gilbert was taken aback when Reo, a boy with long black hair and a large pair of glasses so thick that his eyes were completely hidden from view, completely ignored the boy before him and leaned sideways in order to smile in the young Nightray's direction. "Please excuse him," he said, still holding the hardback book he had struck his friend (were they friends?) with just inches about the aggravated sandy-blonde's head, "He just wanted to talk to you because you look very like someone he knows."

"Uh…" Gilbert blinked, confused by the sudden turn of events and unsure of how to respond. "I…"

"What?" the first boy yelled, his face contorting into some strange mixture of rage and humiliation… a strange and deadly-looking mixture that… somehow, looking really, _really_ familiar. "That's not it at all!"

Reo merely hummed as he finally lowered the book to his side, seemingly unaffected by the loud voice of the boy next to him. "Of coarse not," he said, his tone entirely patronizing, earning a scowl from the other boy, before he turned to Gilbert and bowed his head slightly, "A apologize for my master's behavior. I'm afraid you just remind him very much of his older brother."

"U-um…" Gilbert, flustered by the respectful way Reo was speaking to him, bowed his head slightly, also, "N-No, it's fine. I-"

But before he could speak another word, the first boy had stepped forward and was, once again, yelling at his servant. "He's not-! That's not why-!" he fumbled with his words awkwardly, apparently incapable of forming a single decent excuse for why he had approached Gilbert, before pointing and accusing finger at him and exclaiming, "He just looked suspicious!"

"_Ah… I need to learn to be inconspicuous…"_ Gilbert sighed. Why couldn't be just be one of those people that were so painfully _ordinary_ that they blended in everywhere, completely unnoticed? He shook his head, something which was mirrored by Reo.

"Don't yell, Eliot," the boy said, "You don't want your father finding out you made a scene at Pandora after only being there for ten minutes, do you?"

Gilbert blinked. Eliot?

"You wouldn't tell him," the blonde said, though his gaze was slightly wary.

Reo shook his head, "I wouldn't need to. There are hundreds of other people in this building who might, though."

"You-!"

"_Wait a minute…"_ Gilbert turned his full attention to the teenager that had first approached him, his mouth falling open when he found exactly why he was looking for. He had forgotten… He had spent so much time with Oz that he had completely forgotten that he had spent ten whole years in the Abyss. The people he knew before that would have all grown up in his absence, including the young Nightray heir he had met shortly after his arrival at the family estate. The mole beneath the boy's left eye was a dead giveaway.

"Eliot?" Gilbert exclaimed, shock at the sudden realization that the little kid he had known was now standing before him as a teenager pushing the word from his throat before he could stop himself. His outburst caused both Eliot and Reo to jump, the former of which regarded him with a look that indicated he thought that Gilbert may be slightly insane. Realizing his mistake, the younger (he was younger than Eliot now?) Nightray quickly stood and bowed the entire top half of his body downward, saying, "I-I'm sorry Mr. Nightray, I didn't realize!"

"H-Hey! Stand up!" Eliot hissed, sounding a little flustered himself as he glanced around at the people whose attention had been drawn by the young servant's exclamation. "You're making a scene!"

"And you're helping him, yelling like that."

"Shut up, Reo!"

Gilbert straightened up as the master and servant before him started bickering, his eyes wide and an unconscious smile on his face. Eliot… This boy was _Eliot_? Cute, sweet (temperamental) little Eliot, who, despite his best attempts to prove the world otherwise, was unable to conceal the true kindness that seemed to radiate from his very soul? The same Eliot that pretended to have no interest in his adoptive brothers, yet appeared everywhere they went, asking them questions, and then starting fights when he thought they were getting along too well? Now that he knew who he was, Gil was shocked he hadn't realized it sooner; he had hardly changed at all! Taller, yes, but in so many ways he was the same; the way he looked, the way he spoke, his mannerisms, even the haughty way that he carried himself.

Gilbert had the sudden, ridiculous urge to run forward and hug his adoptive-brother hard, despite the fact that he knew he would receive a blow of some sort for doing so. He wanted to know everything about the boy; he wanted to know what school he went to, how his sword-fighting training was going, who his friends were…. Heck, he even wanted to know how his brothers were doing!

But he couldn't ask about any of things because, as far as Eliot was concerned, he was a complete stranger. A stranger that looked like a younger version of his adoptive brother, but a stranger none-the-less.

"What are you staring at?"

"H-Huh?" Gilbert blinked, "Was I?" He knew he had been… And he felt embarrassed for not realizing it before Eliot did. "S-Sorry…" he stuttered, and then, for good measure, bowed his head again and added a quiet 'Master Nightray' onto the end. He could almost sense that Eliot was seconds away from lashing out; one more wrong move and- Ah… he'd glanced upwards and made eye-contact with the blonde, and that seemed to be a justifiable reason for Eliot to swing a fist at the side of Gilbert's head. "Ow!"

"Stop staring!"

"I wasn't that time!" Oh geez… Did he just say 'that time'?

"'That time'?"

Apparently so. "I-I'm sorry Eliot, I just-"

Eliot swung his fist at Gilbert again, but the dark-haired teen managed to dodge that time. That only seemed to make the Nightray heir even angrier; really, where did it all come from? He was certain even Eliot didn't know why he was upset half the time. "Don't say my name so lightly!"

"I'm sorry!" This was very quickly snowballing into the worst reunion ever… helped drastically by the fact that one half of said reunion had no clue who the other half was (although, maybe Eliot wouldn't have held back if he really did know who Gilbert was). He would have loved to actually speak with Eliot and try to get some information about how he had been for the past ten years, but that was clearly not an option. In fact, with the way his adoptive brother was glaring at him, Gilbert was genuinely starting to worry about his safety; he knew Eliot would never do any real harm, but he could already feel a dull ache in his skull from the boy's earlier abuse, and he had a terrible feeling he was only going to make things worse if he opened his mouth and uttered another word. Then again, staying quiet when Eliot was speaking to him was as good as begging for some sort of physical or verbal abuse. Where on earth was Raven? He needed rescuing, and fast!

"You're making a scene, Eliot," Reo said with yet another sigh. Well, someone was obviously used to Eliot's little tantrums. "And all on your own, too."

"I'm not-!" Eliot started loudly, only to pause and glance around just in time to see what few people remained in the reception area avert their eyes. "Tch," he turned back in Gilbert's direction with his arms folded, looking a little flustered, if Gilbert wasn't mistaken. "I'm not making a scene," he answered stubbornly, "And you still haven't answered my question."

"Question?" Gilbert said.

"You're name," the young Nightray said, "What is it?"

"Um… I don't…" Gilbert clenched and unclenched his fists nervously; how was he going to get out of this one? Ah, where was Raven? Really, how could he just let him here like this? Then again, it was Break's fault for not being ready to see them sooner; he should have been more specific about the time he-

"Ahem…"

Gilbert wanted to clear his throat, but he was afraid the universal nervous habit would be seen as mocking if he were to do so right after the impatient Nightray before him. He couldn't say he was a 'Nightray'; what did he used to say before he became-?

… Wait…

Ah… Well, now he just felt stupid.

"I don't have one," he said simply, but in a quiet voice, keeping his eyes focused on his hands as his fingers laced with one another distractedly.

"What?" Eliot asked, his rough tone suggesting that he thought Gilbert was lying or making fun of him, "What do you mean you don't have one?"

"Well," Gilbert glanced upwards, but the slight ache at the side of his head reminded him of what happened the last time he did that, so he quickly returned his gaze to his hands, "I don't have any parents, and I don't remember their names, so… I don't have one."

"Oh…" Eliot breathed, and though Gilbert was not looking, he could almost imagine the surprised look upon the Nightray's face, most likely with a few traces of guilt interlaced. Eliot may be brash, but he very rarely intended to seriously hurt or upset people. However, in a truly Eliot-like way, the boy did no apologize, but instead said, "Well, why didn't you just say that to begin with?"

"Come on Eliot," Reo said, taking his friends arm and tugging lightly at it, "let's go and dislodge that size ten boot from your mouth."

"Reo I-!"

"Master Eliot, good afternoon."

Gilbert instantly tensed at the sound of a familiar voice, and he could have jumped for joy at the sight of Liam standing just a few feet behind Eliot and Reo, who had turned around to face him. Oh sweet salvation!

"Have you not been assigned a guide yet?" the Pandora member asked the young noble, smiling politely.

"Liam? Oh, yes, I have…" Eliot answered, his rage completely diffused by the arrival of the Pandora official, "We're just waiting for them to come back."

"That's good to hear," Liam said, nodding lightly before holding a hand out and gesturing towards the main desk, "If they don't return in the next few minutes, you can just ask at reception and they'll get you a new guide right away. I would like to stay with you until they come back, but I'm afraid we have a lot of work to do." At that, he tilted his head back slightly, looking beyond Eliot and Reo to the young servant sitting on the chair behind them, "He's ready for you now."

"A-Alright," Gilbert said, almost propelling himself out of his seat and moving around Eliot and Reo to stand at Liam's side. 'It's about time!' was what he really wanted to say, but he held his tongue.

"Wait," Eliot said, "Where is he going?"

"He has a meeting with Xerxes Break."

"Xerxes Break?" Woah, what was that look that just crossed Eliot's face? It almost looked like… jealousy? Gilbert obviously had no idea how to read Eliot's emotions properly, because there was no way that anyone would be jealous of him for having a meeting with _Break_, of all people.

"That's right," Liam nodded, calm and collected as ever, "and I apologize, but we really must hurry. Please excuse us, Master Eliot."

When Liam bowed his head in Eliot's direction, Gilbert followed suit. "It was nice to meet you, Master Nightray," he said politely, relieved when Eliot actually took his farewell rather than having another fit over his actions.

As both Gilbert and Liam began to walk away from the young Nightray and his servant, Gilbert heard Reo tut disapprovingly, before saying, "Well, there it goes."

"What?"

"You're chance to make a decent apology. Now it's just going to be awkward."

"Do you ever shut up?"

Gilbert held back the urge to chuckle; he had a feeling he would like Reo, if he ever had the chance to get to know him. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt as he moved away from his younger, now older, brother… The young servant was relieved that he was out of that terrible, nerve-wracking situation he had suddenly been cast into, but he was also disappointed that he had not been able to actually speak with Eliot properly, or learn anything about him. Even if they had only known each other a short time, he found it hard not to care about the boy, and so he could not help but cast a curious glance backwards as he and Liam reached the top of the stairs. He only caught a glimpse of Eliot and Reo talking heatedly before they rounded the corner and the pair disappeared from his sight, but it was enough to make him smile. He was going to have to ask Raven about him later…

As it turned out, Raven had met Liam halfway and had been returning to the reception area to collect Gilbert, but upon arriving he had spotted Eliot already speaking with the boy. Apparently there were some tensions between Raven and Eliot that Gilbert didn't know about, because he insisted that he could not have been the one to speak to the young Nightray, which was why he had run to Liam's office to ask for help.

Gilbert was tempted to comment on the fact that Raven had been missing far longer than he had expected, leaving him alone long enough for Eliot to get suspicious of him, but the young Nightray had far bigger worries on his mind right now. Namely, the fast-approaching examination he was going to have to undertake in just a few minutes.

When he thought about that, another confrontation with Eliot suddenly seemed a lot more appealing.

**O-O-O**

"Alright Gilbert, before we begin, I'm going to need you to put this on~!"

Gilbert took one look at the severely unsetting smile on Break's face, the chair he had been asked to sit in, and the blindfold that the one-eyed servant had just pulled out of his pocket, and simply said, "No way."

"How rude," Break said in feigned shock, looking towards Raven, who was standing to the young boy's left, "Did you teach him to talk like that? You are such a bad influence, Raven!"

Raven, ignoring the man before him ("And he used to be such a sweet, easily-manipulated little boy, too…") turned, instead, towards Liam. "Is he serious?"

The Pandora member sighed and pressed a finger against the frame of his glasses. "I'm afraid that the blindfold _is_ part of the test, Master Gilbert, but we have other things to check first. Right, Xerxes?" he said, narrowing his eyes and glaring half-heartedly when he noticed that Break was paying no attention to him. The man had moved so that he was standing in front of Gilbert, holding the doll that he usually had perched on his shoulder before him so that it was face-to-face with the young servant.

"Little Gilbert," Break said, a bright smile on his face, "I think Emily has something to say to you~!"

Gilbert frowned, trying to lean away from the rather frightening-looking doll, only to have Break push it closer to his face. "What would-?"

"You're even uglier up close!" Emily yelled, sounding disgusted.

"Now now, Emily," Break chided lightly, "that's not very nice."

"But it's true!"

"Ignore her," he whispered, holding one hand up beside his mouth as if to prevent his little blue-skinned accomplice from hearing him, "She told me herself, she wants to marry you!"

Predictably, and rather comically, Gilbert's face fell, looking far more fearful than was entirely necessary for a joke. Always so serious!

"Like hell!" Emily shrieked. "I don't want to marry someone with a face that hideous!"

"Break…" Raven growled, irritated.

"Shh, Raven!" Break hushed, looking towards the elder Nightray but jerking his head towards the doll in his hand, which he promptly shoved in Gil's face, making the boy cry out and stumble backwards. "They're connecting~!"

Raven caught the front of Gil's shirt as he tumbled and quickly pulled him forward, holding on until the boy regained his balance. "Look, Oz is waiting for us to get back. We don't have time for this," he said, his words earning a nod and an affirmative hum from the boy by his side, who was rubbing his face where Break had as good as punched him with his doll.

"Hmph, you two are no fun at all," Break sighed dramatically, straightening up and placing Emily back on his shoulder. "Fine, fine… let's get to work…"

Gilbert could not help but glance nervously in Raven's direction when Break turned on his heel and moved back towards Liam's desk. The queasy feeling in his stomach that had been growing in strength since they had begun to make their way to the office was suddenly so bad that he momentarily feared that if he moved at all his legs would not support him. Raven offered him a fleeting, encouraging smile, and Gilbert returned the gesture, but it did little to calm the boy's nerves.

"Alright, Master Gilbert," Liam said, smiling somewhat awkwardly when both Nightrays turned towards him at the sound of their name being said. "Ah, Young Master Gilbert," he corrected himself, trying not to frown when he noticed the teenager shuffle awkwardly, his face slightly reddened as the title he was given. Liam really wished he wouldn't act like that, it only made him feel uncomfortable as well. "We just want to ask you a few questions."

"S-sure," Gilbert stuttered, swallowing thickly as he moved to take the seat before Liam's desk that he was being offered by the Pandora member. For a while, it was all oddly straight-forward; Break and Liam asked Gilbert a few questions, mostly about his sleeping patterns and eating habits, if he had been feeling ill or faint at all, and so on. Gilbert felt his nerves begin to dissolve, even more so when he decided to ignore Break completely and just talk to Liam, who was far kinder and offered him an encouraging smile or two rather than tormenting him with odd, uncomfortable questions that had were only asked to try and get a reaction out of him for Break's own amusement. Then again, those odd questions allowed him to focus on how much the red-eyed servant annoyed him, and so distracted him from the current situation.

It also helped that Raven was nearby; the elder Nightray had moved across the room from his spot near the door when Liam and Break had begun questioning Gilbert, taking up a place right next to the boy's chair, standing quietly and listening intently to everything that was said. He didn't say anything to Gilbert, or even look at him, but just having him nearby made the dark-haired teen feel a little less nervous.

Of course, things did not stay that way for long.

Next, Break asked Gilbert to put on what looked like a thick shirt that had a number of small hooks protruding from it, telling him that it was for a test of endurance, and that metal weights were going to be attached to it until Gilbert could no longer support himself. The metal cylinders, which Gilbert assumed were the sort of equipment that couldn't have been brought to the mansion, were not especially heavy individually, but Break and Liam continued to add more and more until Gilbert was actually forced to his knees. Raven quickly snatched the jacket at the shoulders and lifted it so that it was not weighing completely on him, the two Pandora members quickly detaching weights and pulling the shirt off of him.

He was only given a few minutes to rest before Liam explained that the next test was going to be very similar to the first, only he was going to be weighed down with magic rather than something physical. He really did not feel ready to exert that same effort again, but he stood up regardless, and followed Break's orders to stand in the centre of the room, where he was told a sealing circle had been placed (another thing Gilbert assumed would have been difficult to place in the Reinsworth mansion without being noticed). Without warning, the symbol on the floor began to shimmer and his entire body suddenly felt unbearably heavy. Gilbert tried to fight against it, but he was forced onto his hands and knees within seconds. It took less than a minute for his hands to give out from beneath him, leaving him completely unable to move until Break released him… which he took his time doing.

"B-Break," Gilbert forced out with no small amount of effort. The seal was still pulling him downward, and though he was not in any immediate pain he was losing energy and getting a headache, and the inability to move was making him nervous. A thoughtful hum from the Reinsworth servant, the sound of his cane strike the floor, and the binds holding him evaporated in time with the dimming light underneath him. He sighed and brought his arms beneath him, intent on pushing himself up into a sitting position, but found that his shaking limbs had no strength in them.

"Break, what is the point of all this?" Raven asked as he knelt down next to the young servant, frowning when Gilbert only managed to roll over onto his back with a groan. He gave the boy a questioning look, but Gilbert merely shook his head, muttering 'just give me a minute' while allowing his eyes to slide clothes, breathing deeply.

"The point," Break said as he spun on his heel and made his way back to Liam's desk, tapping a rhythm on the floor with his cane as he did so, "was to prove that his body is made from Abyssal power."

"Mmm?" Gilbert opened his eyes and tilted his head backwards slightly so that he could look at Break's retreating back from where he lay on the floor, "Abyssal?"

"Didn't we already know that?" Raven asked.

"We theorized," Liam corrected, "we never knew for certain. That particular circle was design to only affect chains and illegal contractors, who have the blood of chains in their system. The fact that he was pulled down by it only proves our speculations."

Gilbert frowned and rolled over onto his stomach again before pushing himself up so that he was sitting back on his heels, hands holding his knees. Proved their speculations? He really was beginning to feel like some sort of science experiment… And hearing Liam say that he was not exactly human caused his stomach to twist violently for a moment. He already knew… but, somehow, the fact that they now had proof of it brought back a sliver of the pain he had felt when Break had first broken the news to him.

Thankfully, there was only one more test after that one, which surprised Gilbert._ "I guess he did say it would only take a few minutes,"_ he thought. If only they had timed this better, they could have come here, done the tests, and been back to Oz and Alice within half an hour.

By now, however, Gilbert was quite tired and once again shaking with nerves despite the attempts of the people around him to calm them… Which probably made it the worst possible time for Break could produce a blindfold and a pair of earplugs from his pockets, which he then held out in Gilbert's direction and ordered him to put on. He looked to Liam, desperately hoping that this was another of Break's jokes, but the glasses-wearing man simply shrugged and explained that purpose of the test was to see how sensitive he was to magic. Break was going to release small, harmless waves of power from his Chain, and Gilbert was to tell them the direction he had felt the power coming from, removing any support his audio or visual sense would provide by using the blindfold and ear plugs.

"But I don't even know what that feels like…" Gilbert muttered, but he straightened up slightly in his chair when a thought struck him. "Does it feel like when a Chain appears? Like the one in Holder?"

Break quirked a questioning eyebrow at this, "Did you sense that Chain when it appeared?"

"I don't know…" Gilbert glanced in Raven's direction nervously before, reluctantly, reaching forward and taking the blindfold and earplugs from Break. "I sensed it the same time Miss Alice did."

"You did?" Raven said, and Gilbert was a little unsettled to see the look of surprise upon the dark-haired man's face, while Break merely hummed thoughtfully.

"Is that… not normal?" he asked with a frown.

"To be as sensitive to a Chain's presence as another Chain?" Break said, "No, not really."

"Break…" Raven hissed.

"It's not unheard of, either, so you shouldn't worry about it," Liam interjected, but Gilbert did not miss the sharp look he cast the red-eyed Reinsworth servant. "Let's just continue with the tests, shall we?"

Great… So now he was only weird in, what, a dozen different ways? Feeling a little deflated, the young servant nodded and pushed the earplugs into place before covering his eyes with the blindfold. His fingers were shaking, so he had trouble tying the knot at the back of his head, but Raven had helped him with that (or, at least, he assumed it was Raven). Taking a deep breath, he laid his arms on the armrests of the chair and muttered a quiet 'Go'.

That test had been the worst of all. Even though it was not physically challenging, the longer he sat in the chair without his sight or hearing to reassure him, the more nervous Gilbert became. Breaks magic felt like nothing more than a warm blanket of air washing over him, but the sudden waves coming at him from different directions made him sick with fear.

Because Pandora had used a similar tactic on him when he had first arrived to try and get him to confess that he was truly a chain; he may not have been blindfolded then, but the waves of magic sent by those Chains had been painful on a level far deeper than the physical. He tried not to think about that, and continued muttering directions under his breath, but his hands clutched the arms of his chair so tightly that they ached.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Raven asked as Break lowered his hand and moved around so that he was standing in front of Gilbert, where he raised his hand again so that his palm was facing the boy. A moment later the boy flinched, before muttering 'in front of me' quietly. "He looks like he's in pain."

"I think that has less to do with the test and more to do with his own fears. He is completely deaf and blind to anything around him, after all," Liam answered, though he too looked somewhat concerned at the way Gilbert's body appeared to be curling in on itself almost unconsciously, the boy's knuckles turning white as he clung to the arms of the chair. "Xerxes' powers won't hurt him. I'm sure he's just uncomfortable."

Raven could have scoffed at that statement. Uncomfortable? That was a severe understatement…

The elder Nightray hadn't really known what to expect when he had agreed to bring Gilbert here, but somehow the entire process just hadn't seemed so bad in his mind. He had pictured similar tests, even ones that were far worse, but he had thought that he could handle seeing Gilbert a little upset if it were for his own good, but this…

Watching Gilbert was difficult. In his mind, he knew that the boy was safe, that there was no reason for him to worry because Break and Liam would never intentionally cause the boy harm, but he just couldn't quell this fear within him that Gilbert was suffering, that he was hiding it somehow. He wanted to be there with him to support him and share the burden of his fears, but… Even if he took part in these tests, he would not truly be _with_ him. He could not feel that powers that Gilbert appeared to be sensing with ease. He could not understand how it felt to be dragged to the floor by a sealing circle for Chains.

He couldn't share any of it with the boy. He couldn't divide the burden because it was impossible for him to understand what it felt like to have to be tested in the first place, the pain of being different…

_Useless…_

The dark-haired man shook his head in an attempt to clear it, refocusing on Break and Gilbert. "So… what does that all mean?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the pair.

"This specifically?" Break asked as he moved around so that he was standing behind Gilbert, raising his hand up so that it hovered behind the boy's head, "This test shows that Little Gilbert here is sensitive to magic or Abyssal aura. Very sensitive, actually… Which could be very good, or very bad."

"How so?" Raven asked, watching as Break took three steps back before, once again, releasing a gentle wave of magic. Or at least, he assumed he did; though he could not feel it, Gilbert nodded and quietly whispered 'behind me' before Break lowered his arm and silently moved so that he was slightly to the boy's right, repeating the process at a greater radius each time.

Liam cleared his throat slightly before he began to explain, "We believe that, subconsciously, Gilbert has been drawn to you because the energy in his own body is drawing on yours to retain order."

"B-behind me, to the right." Gilbert said, to which Break nodded and began to move once again.

"However, the fact that he can also sense foreign magic and is not repelled by it means that he is not drawn solely to your energy, so it might be possible to use other sources of magic to replace what has already been lost and restore him to full strength."

"But," Break said, before the elder Nightray had time to get excited about this new information, "it could also have the opposite effect and end up causing him more harm than good. And that is ignoring the fact that exposing him to foreign magic could upset the balance of the energy that already exists inside of him."

Raven visibly deflated, his shoulders slouching and mouth forming a disappointed frown. "So in short, we've got nothing…" he said with a sigh.

"We have facts," Liam pointed out, "instead of just speculation. That's an achievement in itself."

"Honestly, Raven," Break sighed, "Always looking at the glass half empty! You should-"

"C-can we stop?" Gilbert muttered quietly, the quiver in his tone catching all three of them off guard, Raven feeling his flash of fear become steadfast when he noticed that the boy was breathing slowly, but deeply. He was especially worried when he saw a genuine look of concern cross Break's face. He rushed to Gilbert's side, one hand resting on the boy's shoulder while the other pulled at the knot holding the blindfold in place.

"Hey," he said as the material fell away from Gilbert's face, reaching down and pulling out one of the boy's earplugs before he had a chance to do so himself, "Are you al-?" He felt his heart thump hard when Gilbert gasped a quiet, shaky breath, his eyes wide and wet with unshed tears. "What the…? Break, you said it wouldn't hurt!" he yelled as he turned to face the Reinsworth servant, but he was stopped when Gilbert released the arms of his chair in order to latch his hand around Raven's wrist, grabbing his attention.

"R-Raven it didn't!" the boy said, looking slightly panicked, "I-I'm sorry, I'm fine. It didn't hurt at all. I just… remembered something…"

"Kid, you…" Remembered something? Remembered _what_?

"Raven…" Break said, his tone warning, when said Nightray had opened his mouth to question the boy further. "Don't."

That single word filled Raven with a heated anger and chilled him to the bone in the very same moment. Why was he not allowed to ask? Whatever was upsetting the kid, surely it would be better if he shared it, right? Break clearly didn't think so, because he instantly declared the exams over and moved back towards Liam's desk without looking back, waving over his shoulder and saying they were free to go, and that Raven could fill Gilbert in on the way back to Oz. Before he knew it, Raven was being ushered towards the door with a still shaking Gilbert by his side, and for a moment he thought that they were just going to be kicked into the hallway and locked out.

"I'll take Gilbert to the front gates, just in case Master Eliot is still around. It would probably be better if you two weren't seen together by him, after all," Liam said as he took one step past Raven and into the hallway with Gilbert, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder and politely ignoring the way the now-embarrassed teen wiped his eyes to remove the final traces of his tears, "You go and get the Phantomé files off Xerxes and follow us in five minutes or so."

"Right, I'd almost forgotten…" Raven said. It certainly wouldn't have been a good idea to return to Oz without anything to show for over an hour and a half's absence from his side. However, the look that Liam gave him, followed by the silent nod in Break's general direction, told the elder Nightray that there was more to this little momentary separation than he cared to let Gilbert know. "I'll… meet you out front, then."

Gilbert, realizing the statement was directed at him, looked up and Raven and smiled awkwardly. "Sure…" he looked away, embarrassed, "Sorry, for, um…"

"Don't be."

"I'm alright, though," he insisted, "It was just-"

"It's fine, you don't need to explain," Raven said, reaching down and touching the boy's shoulder lightly, "Now get out of here; you've been itching to leave since we arrived. I'll be right after you."

Gilbert appeared uncertain, glancing back into the office where Break was slipping sheets of paper into a folder, then back at Raven. He looked like he wanted to say something, but a gentle push from Liam urged him into step, leading him down the hallway without his elder counterpart. Raven stood in the doorway until the pair was out of sight, though whether he did so for Gilbert or himself, he was not sure.

"You've grown attached to that boy, haven't you?"

Raven stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him. "What's going on, Break?" he asked, ignoring the man's statement. "What happened to him? And what aren't you telling us?"

"Before I called you, Master Oz and Miss Alice in to meet him, Gilbert had been here for about two weeks," Break explained airily, finally turning around so that he was facing the elder Nightray, though his eye remained focused on the folder in his hand, skimming over the words as he moved across the room. "You know that he was interrogated and tested during that time?" he asked, holding the folder out to Raven when the dark-haired man nodded, "I think that final test must have brought back some bad memories... Memories I don't think he's willing to relive or share just yet, so I wouldn't push it if I were you."

Raven narrowed his eyes, taking the file from the man. He wanted to ask Break why he hadn't considered Gilbert's interrogations before performing those tests, but he himself knew that methods of interrogation were varied. Break could hardly stop the tests for a bunch of 'maybes' and 'what ifs', especially when the exams were so important and they had no proof, save a fear of the building, that the tests they had chosen would upset the boy. Judging by the way Break had reacted when he noticed Gilbert's distress, the swordsman appeared annoyed enough with himself for what had happened; there was no reason to add salt to the wound.

With a sigh, Raven tucked the folder under his arm and turned slightly towards the door, intent on rejoining the young teen waiting for him outside. Break's next words, however, froze him in place.

"I would keep an eye on him if I were you, Raven," the Reinsworth servant said, reaching up and idly petting the hair of the doll that sat on his shoulder, his nonchalant façade firmly back in place. "We may have a few facts, but otherwise this entire investigation is based on theories and speculation. That being said…" Golden eyes met a single orb of blood red for a moment, before Break allowed his eye to fall closed, "I don't think that magic circle should have pulled him down that quickly."

Raven's eyes widened slightly, and he turned to face Break fully, "But… He hasn't been having any problems at all since he got the pendant. He hasn't been sick, and he hasn't been sleeping as much as he used to. The only thing that seems odd is that he eats a lot, but I'm pretty sure that when I was that age I-"

"Raven, Raven…" Break interrupted with a dramatic sigh, "I was only making a comment, so don't get yourself all hot and bothered about it. This is all speculation, after all! I just want you to keep an eye on him for us and let us know if he starts turning into a dog or something. We'll worry about Gilbert, you worry about that fun little love triangle you got yourself dragged into."

Raven had been ready to retort and demand that Break let him help with the investigation, but the man's final statement completely wiped that thought from his mind. "L-Love triangle?" he stuttered, his face instantly warming, before he huffed and turned his head away, "What the hell are you talking about?"

He could almost hear the grin across the man's face as Break whistled and said, "Ahh, maybe I've just been imagining those intense, _longing_ looks you and Little Gilbert had been throwing _dear_ Master Oz's way, hmm?"

"I-It's none of your business," Raven bristled, his grip tightening on the folder. Ahh, was that a glimpse of the highly strung Raven he was seeing? The man spent so much time worrying about Gilbert and fawning over Oz, his excitable side just hadn't been shining through as much lately (unless he was angry).

Now if he could just push the right buttons…

"Love triangles certainly are a bother… Perhaps you would prefer a _ménage à trios_, hmm? Or a triad?" Break asked, unsettling the young man, who clearly had no idea what his words really meant, with a knowing smirk. Well, he couldn't leave him in the dark, as that would be no fun, so he simply said, "I'm quite certain that Milady would approve~!"

"Wh-what?" Raven practically yelled, going completely red as the involvement of Miss Sharon made the meaning behind the statement clear (Break should probably worry that everyone that knew Sharon was starting to think she was some sort of pervert, but really, when it got reactions like this, he couldn't be too angry). "The kid was right, you are a pervert!" he said, and with that, he turned and grabbed the door handle, swinging it open with such force it actually banged off the wall. Raven hesitated, as if about to apologize, but one glance back at Break's grinning face made him think better of it. He stormed out and down the hall as fast as he could, his face burning as he muttered to himself in aggravation.

Ahh, it was a relief to realize that Raven was still fun to play with! Everything about the man was so serious lately; if he kept that up, he was going to look older than Break in no time at all!

With a pleased sigh, the white-haired servant leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, once again curling Emily's hair around his finger distractedly. Raven was probably kicking himself for letting Break get to him by now, and for leaving without asking a few more useful questions… _And_ he had probably just remembered that it had been Liam's office door he had potentially damaged, rather than Break's. Silly boy. Break didn't have a door to damage in Pandora!

And Gilbert thought he was a pervert, did he? How rude… He should teach him a lesson for that, once he had the time to think of something cruel and creative. Right now, however, he had some research to do, and a few personal tests to run.

Because the fact that Gilbert had not been able to handle the magic circle, even though it was a relatively weak one, worried Break more than he would ever let Raven know. He had said enough to get the man's attention and make sure he kept an eye on the boy; he just hoped he didn't start overanalyzing and making the others suspicious (though, at this point, even Break was starting to think it would be better if they told everyone what was happening).

As long as Gilbert kept his pendant on and stayed with Raven he would probably be fine, but that was hardly an ideal scenario. Chains break, people separate. They needed something more solid…

And so Break allowed himself a few moments of rest, waiting until Liam returned and they could discuss what they had found. They very rarely wandered from the same line of thinking, but it helped to talk things out with one another before they got down to work. He was certainly glad he had taken on Liam's help; the man may have been useless in many fields, but information gathering and deduction were two of his greatest strengths, and the most useful in this particular situation.

The pair could have a long night ahead of them. Sharon would probably be annoyed. Duke Barma would only be angry if he had a specific assignment he decided was Liam's responsibility and the man was not there to fulfill it.

Neither of them mentioned this to one another when the younger of the pair returned. They simply sat back down and began working on their official Pandora assignments in order to free up their time without attracting attention from their superiors.

When Break came across the copy of Gilbert's file that Liam had kept in his drawer to make their investigation easier, he instantly took it out and opened it up for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Why are you reading that again?" Liam asked.

"Because the Mad Baby case bored me~"

Liam shook his head and went back to trying to complete his daily paperwork, knowing full well that Break was reading every single detail about the various tactics Pandora had used to extract information from Gilbert. There was never any written record made of the method that had upset the boy that day, which was exactly why Break and Liam had thought it was alright to use it. They had done their best to avoid every potentially upsetting test they could, but the fact they had failed was obviously frustrating the Mad Hatter contractor, even if he would never admit it.

Liam could insist that it was the fault of whoever had slacked on their paperwork, but that would not change Break's feelings on the matter. Instead, he left and returned with tea and a small bowl of some of Break's favorite treats (meaning the ones that he didn't like for any special reason other than the fact they were Liam's favorites, which he was always trying to hide from the sugar-hogging man).

He didn't thank him. He never did. Wordlessly tossing one of the wrapped treats at Liam's head was as good as he would get.

"You're a pain, Xerxes Break."

"And you're a bore, Liam Lunette."

Outside the boundaries of Pandora, Gilbert and Raven walked side-by-side in the direction of the street they had left their master at over an hour previously, the elder Nightray explaining the reason behind the final test to his comrade.

"So… it could be a good thing?" Gilbert asked, "That I can sense this stuff? It could help me get better?" He knew he should not get too hopeful, but if there was any small chance that he could make his body healthy again, he had to grasp it. Anything was better than having no hope at all.

"Possibly," Raven answered stiffly, causing Gilbert to frown and tilt his head slightly in confusion. Raven certainly seemed uptight about something, but it was in way that made Gilbert think he wasn't hiding anything serious. Actually, he looked embarrassed rather than guilty, especially when he turned his head away from Gilbert and reached up to readjust his hat, eyes focused on the items in the stalls as they passed as if doing so would make the slight red tinge on his face disappear. "I didn't really get to ask Break much about it."

"How come?"

"Because Break is an idiot!"

Well, that explained everything and nothing all at once, didn't it?

**O-O-O**

**To Be Continued**

**O-O-O**

I don't know how all the Liam and Break keeps getting in here, but I like them so it's fine ^_^ Also, am I the only one who could imagine Break being fluent in French? It would suit him so well ^_^

Anyway, lots of Ozbert and such next chapter, and then things are going to get… let's say 'dramatic'… See you then! :)


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